Adventure Time: Clash of Two Worlds
by Ozymandeos
Summary: Two years have passed since our eight heroes defeated The Lich and saved Ooo. Life has settled down, the land and forests have returned to how they were before. People have returned to their homes and kingdoms, and the Cosmic Weapons remain with their respective hero's. But little do they know that a world of war is drawing close to them, and of the coming storm of Xyl.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This story is a sequel to SCIK1012's story Adventure Time: The Awakening of Heroes!, which can be found at: s/8094713/1/Adventure-Time-The-Awakening-of-Heroes. I recommend checking that story out, as it is extremely well-written. **

**Anyway, I have received direct permission from SCIK1012 to write this. Most, but not all, things will be canon to her story, though it will split in some key ways and some characters MAY be OOC. And now, a word from Marceline.**

**Marceline: Well, you all know the drill; Ozymandeos owns only his original plot and OC's. Everything that's not his belongs to its respective owner.**

* * *

"_Is anyone else going to show up for game night?" _

"_Don't think so C. O."_

"_Why not?"_

"_The others are too busy, according to what they told me. And you know the minor deities can't leave their own planes of the multiverse. So, anything going on with you?"_

"_Not much… nothing really interesting is happening in the multiverse right now. The Lich fell in Ooo two years back, and the wars in Xyl are old news by now."_

"_Hmmm... want a pickle?"_

"_Sure."_

_*Crunch*_

"_Sooo… granted any interesting wishes lately?"_

"_Nope. Nobody has even gotten in here in the last century… it gets boring."_

"_I can guess. I wouldn't be able to stand being stuck in a room like this for all of eternity. Ready to start on the games?"_

"_Sure, you pick the game."_

_*Clatter*_

"_Hey careful there! I might just look like a shadow on the wall but I can still feel it when things hit me!"_

"_Sorry. It's kinda hard to carry stuff and hop around at the same time. Can you help me pick them up?"_

"_Sure."_

"_Hey… why is there a multiverse map here?"_

"_I don't know… wait… does something look wrong about it to you?"_

"_Yeah… Xyl and Ooo are drifting closer than they should be."_

_*Beep*_

"_Forget the games… it looks like we'll be having something really interesting to watch soon. Looks like the Xylans managed to open another portal. Should we do something? You know how the Xylans are, after all, and Ooo doesn't stand a chance."_

"_You know as well as I do that we can't interfere in situations like this! When it's just a problem in one plane we can, but when two collide we can't, even when we try."_

"_Well, either way we're in for an interesting show. Let me bring up the hot-tub and we can watch it on the wall."_


	2. Chapter One: Through the Portal

**Author's Note: In case it gets confusing, here's a helpful hint. This will be switching between two different first-person views. Marceline, and an OC of mine to be exact.**

* * *

Chapter One: Through the Portal

I jolted out of sleep as a brilliant flash of multi-colored light lit up the ashen clouds. I shouted as the light seared my eyes and nearly blinded me, but the noise was drowned out as a thunderous boom shook across the land, actually making the layer of ash on the ground jump up a few inches.

When the after-image of the light finally faded I opened my eyes and looked around. Everything seemed normal now… if it wasn't for the ringing in my ears; I could have thought the whole thing was a dream.

I jerked guiltily as my father let out a small cough. He was by no means a young man, and the ever-present ash of these wastes wasn't helping his health at all. I hoped that he didn't notice that I'd fallen asleep on watch, again.

"Are you alright?" I stood up and strode over to the small cave we'd turned into a home over the year we'd been hiding here in the Ashen Waste. The sword he'd given me on my twelfth birthday clanked against one of the metal plates sewn into my leggings as I knelt next to him. His red eyes were dim, and as he coughed again I realized it was more than just the ash making him cough.

"I think I might be catching something." He broke out into a coughing fit before he could say anything more. I put a hand on his forehead, and hurriedly jerked it away. His skin was burning underneath the short black fur. Finally, his coughing ended as a red-streaked blob of phlegm shot from his mouth into the dust. I had been worrying about the noise and light, but now my father took priority and shoved the other thoughts to the back of my mind.

"You're burning up. Do you want some water?"

"Yes please."

I grabbed an empty canteen from the shelf we'd carved for equipment, and then walked back deeper into the cave to fill it from our spring. When I got back a few minutes later, he was looking a little better. He'd managed to sit up and was chewing on a piece of slightly-shriveled fruit from the last trip out for food. I handed him the canteen and he took a long drink before saying anything.

"What was that sound earlier?"

"I honestly have no idea. It made all the ash on the ground jump up a few inches, and came right after a huge flash of light. It looked like it went outward in a ring… but I don't know what caused it." I sat down next to him and grabbed some food for myself.

"Just the latest in the long line of strange things I've seen recently… this place turned out to be a lot more active than I thought it would be." He mumbled to himself, but I heard anyway.

"What strange things? What haven't you been telling me?" I was curious and a little angry now… I'd trusted him to tell me everything. When we left our home on the run I trusted him… I'd followed him everywhere, not even complaining at the harsh training he made me do. Because I knew that if I didn't Umbra would take me away, because by law ALL Shadowscales belonged to him. I knew how much my dad had risked by keeping me secret… though he'd never told me why he hated Umbra so much.

"Damn it… I forgot your hearing was that good." He sighed. "But I guess you're old enough now to know. These eighteen years seem to have passed in the blink of an eye… you've really made me proud, Son." I stayed silent and waited for him to continue.

"You're as good with the sword as I was at your age… maybe even better. I just wish I could have done more to help you with your powers. There's so much I need to tell you… and so little time left." He sighed again.

I reached out and set a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I trusted you to tell me everything… but now I can see that you've kept secrets. I don't mind, you must have had a good reason. But just start off by telling me about the strange things that you've seen."

"Alright, that's as good a place to start as any." He took another drink of water. "Well, first I saw huge carts coming into the wastes here, loaded with who knows what. I've seen every race bringing them in. For some reason they were working on something with the Araojial… something big enough that they let others send out patrols too. Then I started seeing paired patrols and sentries… with mortal enemies working together."

My eyes widened at what he'd said. This was technically Araojial land… and nobody but us Sildara were brave enough to fight them for any extended length of time. But worse… it was unheard of for any of the mortal enemy races to work together. They'd rather die than work with each other. Or so Father had told me, anyway.

"And then last week I saw two full battalions marching in… though I assume more came. One was Eolnara… and I'm almost certain I saw their king, Terrak, leading it. And the other was Sildara… Umbra himself led it with a vanguard of his Shadowscales. I don't know what's going on… but it's got to be something big." He stood up and started packing supplies into a backpack. I didn't know why he did it, but I started helping anyway when he motioned for me to help.

"And now this light and sound." I finished, trying to be helpful. We filled up our two large backpacks and left the rest on the shelves.

"Yeah, and now this. There's a lot more that I need to tell you… but first we should see what's going on. Follow me." And with that we set off to find out what had caused the flash.

* * *

After two hours of boring walking, during which we didn't speak and I just practiced with manipulating the shadows, we got close to where I assumed the sound had started. Here there was just a thin dusting of ash on the ground… as if the thick coating had been blown away, or sucked in, and only the freshly fallen ash had stayed.

Up ahead I saw a glimmer of red, and a smear of white, and we dropped to the ground. It must be one of the patrols Father had mentioned.

"Do you think you can cover us both with the shadows?" Father whispered. I looked around briefly before answering.

"In light this dim? Maybe. Another Sildara might see through it… and a Shadowscale definitely would… but with the sun behind these ash clouds it should fool most people." I replied offhandedly as I focused and made large sweeping motions along the ground with my arms.

Vestiges of darkness flowed across the ground piling up around me and Father until they covered us from outside sight. Then I used the only trick with my power as a Shadowscale that I'd really managed to master. I could see straight through the shadows, and so could everyone else. The thing is, most people wouldn't see us. They'd just see everything behind us, as if we weren't there at all.

Under what I liked to call the Shadowed Cloak, we crept further in, passing several patrols of soldiers from the various nations. It seemed that whatever was going on here was enough to make them all stop fighting, and that made me all the more curious. That curiosity, however, proved to be my downfall.

Just as we came to a large, circular stone wall with a single massive gate set into it, I tripped. As my concentration broke, the Shadowed Cloak disappeared. A cry of warning went up among the sentries atop the wall, and a few seconds later the first arrows started falling. I hissed in pain as one grazed my arm, but then I got the shield slung over my backpack back onto my arm and stopped the rest. I was nervous… but at the same time exhilarated. This was what Father had been training me for… for the first time I really felt alive.

My long, slightly curved, sword flicked out of its scabbard and settled into my left hand. I glanced briefly to the side and saw my father doing the same thing. His sword was much fancier than mine… it was actually a family heirloom, with a long story behind it that he'd once told me.

"Through the gate, before they close it!" I dashed off after Father as he ran through it, and some sixth sense warned me to duck. I rolled underneath the gate just as it stuck, and looked at the quivering arrow buried in the stone right in front of me. It was red and glowing, and the stone around it was scorched.

When I turned around, I saw an Araojinre glaring daggers at me, her flaming hair rising back behind her with the force of her rage. I didn't know if she could melt the gate, nor did I want to find out. So I turned and started after Father, only to realize that he had stopped right in front of me.

My jaw dropped open as I took in the sight before me… barely even noticing the ring of soldiers. The raised stone dais was what drew my attention… or more importantly the portal of swirling white light hovering right above it. And the three dark figures clustered near the entrance. I'd never seen them before in my life, but the black scales on each of their collarbones marked them as Shadowscales.

"Damn it… I thought I had more time." I heard Father mutter to himself, but I had no time to ask him what he meant before he turned to me. "Look, don't ask how I know this or why, but you have to go through that portal. I'll try to clear the way."

Questions were whirling through my head at this. Such as why he said I had to go through it… what about him? But I had to leave them behind as the real fighting started.

With an inarticulate scream of rage, my father ran into the ring of soldiers. His sword seemed to be absorbing the light, and soon turned into just a dark swirl at the speed it was moving. It rose and fell in mesmerizing arcs as he fought, flicking out and finding gaps in the soldiers' armor. He seemed untouchable as he carved a bloody swathe through the gathered soldiers.

I followed his orders, and ran up through the gap he'd made. A grey-skinned Eolnara turned to me and decided I was an easier target. I ducked under the first sweeping blow from his great sword, and before he could swing again my sword had separated his head from the rest of his body. I flinched in disgust and horror as a spray of blood coated the fur on my face. I hadn't consciously moved… the years of training had taken over and I'd instinctively moved to protect myself.

I pushed down the horror at having killed someone… now wasn't the time for regrets. A single slip-up could get me killed. I knew I wasn't as skilled as my father yet, but somehow I still seemed to be better than most of the soldiers. I lost track of how many I killed as I fought to break free from the knot around me, and to get to the portal. When I saw an opening I dashed for it, but didn't see the heavy club coming for me until it was too late. Knowing I couldn't dodge it, or bring my shield up in time, I brought my sword up in a futile attempt to block the blow.

The blade snapped near the hilt as the club caught it, and I was left holding a useless stub. I dropped that when the slightly-weakened blow collided with my arm. I screamed out as pain worse than any I'd felt before flooded my mind and drowned out all logical thought. My survival instinct took over and I tapped into the destructive part of my power as a Shadowscale, my vision clouding over with red.

When the red haze in my eyes cleared, the bodies were piled in a circle around where I knelt. None of them were breathing… and more disturbing than the deaths was the haze. I'd lost control of myself and let out too much power, so much that I couldn't control it.

My head was throbbing now, but that didn't stop me from scrambling to my feet and running to help my father. He was fighting all three shadowscales at the same time… and skilled as he was, he seemed to be losing. It didn't help that they weren't fighting fair, and that they turned invisible or blinded him with smoke every chance they got.

In desperation I focused my power into a knife and threw it at one of the Shadowscales. For a second I was hopeful that, even though I'd thrown it with my right arm, the knife would hit. Then, without even glancing at me, the man waved his arm and the knife shot back and lodged in my shoulder. I screamed again, tears blurring my vision as I stumbled up onto the stone dais.

They cleared just in time for me to see my father impaled.

Blood welled up from his mouth as the Shadowscale yanked his sword out, and my father collapsed onto his knees. There wasn't any anger or fear in his eyes… he seemed to be accepting that he was dead. The only things I saw in his eyes were regret and sadness… though what they were for I couldn't guess.

With the last of his strength he threw the family sword to me, and I caught it. He mouthed the word 'Go' right before collapsing face-first onto the ground. Tears were running down my face, and my heart was starting to feel numb, but I obeyed nonetheless. I stumbled through the portal just before the Shadowscales could kill me too. As I did, the sword gripped loosely in my weaker arm flashed bright blue, and then solid black.

* * *

I stumbled out of the portal into a completely different world. Gone were the ashen clouds of the waste. Instead there was a clear blue sky, completely unlike the red of my world, dotted with puffy white clouds. A yellow sun, rather than the blue of my world, lit the sky and shone down on the verdant forest around the base of the hill the portal was on.

On this end the portal swirled just above the grass, not on a stone pedestal, but something was different. Instead of the clear white it had been when I came through, it now had dark blues and swirling blacks inside of it… like something had corrupted it, or was holding it closed.

I was in a strange, possibly hostile, world… but I didn't care. I felt like just curling up and crying my eyes out. But Father wouldn't have wanted that. In my grief I barely even noticed that the shadowed knife was out of my shoulder. Or so I thought.

So I walked down the hill in a haze of pain, with blood running down my left arm, which I was now sure was broken. Tears streaked runnels in the bloody fur on my face as I walked down into the trees, putting as much distance between the portal and myself as possible. I didn't want to be anywhere near it when the soldiers and Shadowscales came through.

After what seemed like hours I collapsed, from exhaustion, pain, or blood-loss. My vision faded to black, and the last thing I saw was an odd creature right in front of my face that seemed to be waving.


	3. Chapter Two: A Trip to the Unknown

**Author's Note: Concerning my update schedule, it will be roughly every two weeks. Exceptions will be made when I get five or more reviews on a chapter, in which case I will update with the next one done immediately. I hope to build up a stockpile of chapters in this way. **

**Marceline: You better actually finish this story! Or do you want me to suck out your eyeballs and rip out your throat?**

**Erm… that won't be necessary Marceline. Besides, you aren't even a vampire anymore. (I'm going through the editing process now, fixing stuff to match up with what SCIK1012's told me will happen in hers)**

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Chapter Two: A Trip to the Unknown

"Once again _Princess_, why do _I _have to do it?" I retorted, at the bubblegum princess standing in front of me. I popped my neck as her face flushed slightly redder than its usual pink.

"I told you already, Finn and Jake are busy, and you're the next best choice."

"What's so important that those dweebs can't go and look at this," I paused and made air-quotes with my fingers. "_Energy Surge?"_

"Jake's running a Card Wars tournament for his kids and the Candy People, and we can't find Finn. I assume he's off with Flame Princess doing something important." Bonnibel tucked a strand of her pink hair back behind her ear. "Please Marceline? Just go and check it out. It'll take a day or two at most."

I chuckled and decided to play around with her for a bit. I'd chosen early on that I'd do it for her, mainly because I was bored, but it was just too fun to mess with Bonnie.

"Bonnibel, this is Finn we're talking about. Either they're off in a dungeon somewhere risking their lives or…" I didn't even finish my statement, just winked at her and laughed as her face flamed bright red.

"Marceline! You don't speak that way around royals! Besides, they're only sixteen!"

"_Princess_, you seem to forget that I'm a queen myself. I'll talk however I want, whenever I want to." I did a flip in the air in front of her for fun, and ended up upside down. "And exactly, they're sixteen! Teenagers. You know how people get at that age… and Flame King DID make them promise to give him grandchildren."

"Enough!" The Princess shouted at me, and tried to shoo me out of her lab. "Just go find whatever caused it, and if you can, bring it back!"

I laughed the whole way out, and caught the radar-like device that she tossed to me as I went through to door. Used to be it would have burned to fly out in the daylight, but ever since I gave up my immortality and vampirism to save Finn's life I'd been perfectly fine in the sun. Even after two years I wasn't quite used to being actually alive again, to having warm blood flowing through my veins and being able to die. But being able to feel the sun again without it burning me was worth losing vampirism.

After a few minutes I was out past the Candy Kingdom and soaring above the forest, sharing my space with nothing but a few birds. The grasslands were just visible on the edge of the forest, and already I could see the mountains that marked the Ice Kingdom rising above the horizon. The radar seemed to be pointing me toward them. I was in for a few days of hard flying it seemed.

* * *

"Hey Simon, I'm coming in!" I hollered as I barged through the old wizard's front door. He wasn't the Simon that I'd known, not anymore, but I still preferred to call him that. It pained me to no end every time I saw him and he made it clear that he remembered nothing from our time together after the Mushroom War.

"Don't call me that! I'm not Simon, I'm the Ice King!" He reminded me. I scowled and kicked the door shut. Then I wrinkled my nose at the stench.

"Fine, Ice King then, you need to do your laundry. If it's bad enough to make a vampire cringe… well you just need to fix it." I casually told him, ignoring his shout of protest that it didn't stink. I sat my axe-bass against his new ice table and then kicked back in his chair. "I just need to stop here for and rest for a while. I've been flying since this morning, and I'm damn tired."

"But you can't just take my chair!" He shrieked in protest.

I just looked at him through one half-opened eye and said, "I just did."

I giggled, rather childishly, when he tripped over one of his penguins and landed on his face. At least he'd stopped kidnapping princesses after the whole debacle with The Lich two years ago.

"Say, do you know anything about the lands up north of your kingdom? Bonnie's making me go up and look for whatever caused some kind of energy surge."

"Oh… that would explain the huge boom and the bright flash I saw earlier. At first I thought it was just these Glob-danged old wizard eyes… but Gunter saw it too. Didn't you Gunter?" He jabbed the penguin with a toe.

"Wenk!" that one noise from the poor penguin told me much more than the man I'd once known had. With a sigh I got up out of the chair… according to the cute little penguin it was in the forest just half an hour away by flight.

"I'll be back soon."

"If you find any new princesses, bring them to me!" Same old perverted man he'd been ever since the crown took hold… I couldn't stand to see him like this. With that I floated out the door and flew up over the mountains.

Half an hour later I was flying over an evergreen forest, my eyes glued onto the radar. It showed two dots nearby… one a little fainter than the other. I flew to the nearest one first, the dimmer dot to be exact. As I started dropping down to the ground, and oddly familiar metallic smell wafted up to my nose. I was still trying to place it when I broke through the trees.

It was blood.

There was a dark-colored corpse at the foot of the tree lying in a pool of semi-congealed blood. Most people would have thrown up at a sight like this, but it just made me wonder how it happened. And what exactly the dead thing was… I'd never seen or heard of anything like it. Even curled up in death, it was easy to tell that it was almost as tall as me. Maybe even taller… as in six or seven feet. One arm was twisted at an odd angle and quite obviously broken.

I frowned and glanced at the radar. Whatever the source of the energy was, it was somewhere on the corpse. What I couldn't figure out was why there was so much blood around it… there weren't any open wounds I could see.

If I'd still been a vampire, I wouldn't have been able to resist the drying red liquid when I knelt down to roll over the body. Right before I did, I noticed a sword clutched in the unbroken right arm's hand. Its blade was pure black… and nothing seemed that odd about it, aside from the etchings on the blade, and the adornments on the hilt. But still, somehow the mere sight of it sent shivers down my spine. The corpse was surprisingly warm to the touch as I put my hand on its shoulder, and rolled it over.

I jerked my hand away when it shuddered and rolled over by itself. It was still alive, somehow, even with all this blood around it.

"Ah fuck… I can't just leave this guy to die." I mumbled under my breath as I took a closer look at the person. What I'd originally taken for skin was actually short black fur, matted in several places with blood. What I'd thought was its back and had made me believe it was curled up was actually a backpack of the same color.

Its eyes were squeezed shut, probably from pain. It didn't seem to be awake… and soon I could see why. The only wound I could see, aside from its broken arm, was a hole in its shoulder. It was like it had been stabbed… and it definitely didn't have long to live if I didn't take a hand to save it.

"Damn those dweebs to the Kartarus… if they hadn't dragged me on that stupid quest I would be able to just leave this person to die." I wasn't disappointed by the person's response; I had expected nothing and that's what I'd gotten.

With one last look at Bonnie's radar and the two flashing dots, I dropped it onto the ground. The thing wasn't small enough to fit in my pocket, and the creature's backpack looked too full to put it in. She'd kill me, again, for leaving it here… but I'd deal with that later. Times like this made me wish I could heal more than just my own wounds… but I'd never had much of a gift for magic, and all my other abilities came from being either half-demon or a vampire before I'd given that up.

I tried to take his sword and hang it in the loop with my axe-bass, because I'd have to fly him back to either the Ice King's palace or even further and I didn't want it to be flopping around in the being's grip and possibly slice me. But as soon as my hand touched the blade it shimmered blue and an even darker black. I jerked my hand away, muttering curses that would make a sailor blush, and looked at my scorched hand.

The pattern from the hilt was burned into my palm. I muttered the words that Daddy had taught me, the ancient demonic healing spell that to most would just sound like a hiss, but nothing happened. Either the wound was too serious for the spell… or something was stopping me from healing it. Whichever it was, I knew there was no way I was going to try and pick up that sword again.

I moved its arms so that the sword wasn't a danger to me, and then slipped my arms underneath it. I shivered a little as its fur slid over my arms. Apparently it wasn't wearing a shirt, even in the cold climate this far north. I blushed a little as I felt the fairly impressive muscles on his back… and then berated myself. Glob damn it, even if I had the body of one, I wasn't some teenage girl crazed with hormones! Besides, I didn't know enough about whatever race it was to tell if this was a guy or a girl.

I tried to pick it up, and very nearly failed. Damn it was heavy! I was really glad now for the training with The Train back during our quest to find the Cosmic Weapons… otherwise I might not have been strong enough to pick him up. As it was, I grunted and cursed until I finally managed to lift off the ground and get up above the trees. The creature and I stumbled through the air in patterns reminiscent of a drunken honeybee for close to an hour before landing outside the Ice King's door.

"Yo Ice King, Open Up!" My hands were too full to get the door… and I doubt he'd take it kindly if I broke it down. After a few odd sounds from inside, it opened and I floated in past the old wizard.

"Did you find wha…?" He started, in one of his more intelligent and polite moods, and then leapt back with a girlish shriek. "Who the hell is that!"

"I have no idea. I just know that one of the things Bonnie sent me to find is on it. Is there anywhere I can sit it down? It is kind of heavy, after all." I grunted out. The Ice King stepped closer and poked the being in my arms.

"Err, there's a cot in the old princess cage I think. Is it dead?" He called out fearfully as I kicked open the door to the cage, and sat the being down on the cot in there. Its heart was still beating… but for how long I didn't know.

"Not yet, and I don't intend to let it die before I can ask it some questions. Please tell me you know some healing magic, or at least have some of that Cyclops's tears?"

"Errr… I think I have a bottle somewhere around here. Gunter's kitten blew up the penguins' common room a week ago, and I had to get a few bottles for them because that naughty penguin broke my last one."

"Well go get them! We don't want this guy bleeding out!" I gave him a shove to speed him on his way to find the tears. Gunter waddled over and caught a small droplet of blood that dripped off the being's hand and brought it up to her beak. I slapped the flipper and the droplet spattered on the ice nearby.

"Bad penguin, you don't drink blood!" I scolded, and the bird reluctantly waddled away.

Well… after a few calm seconds of just looking over the creature I realized it was a he, and not an it. After all… he wasn't wearing a shirt, and had no visible sign of breasts. That, combined with the muscles I could see underneath his chest fur, made it pretty obvious he was male. While I waited for the Ice King to come back, I took a closer look at him.

Aside from the fur on him, he didn't have any hair. His ears were a little catlike, but a bit more rounded. His nose was small, barely existent actually, and when his mouth opened a little to take in a great gasping breath I glimpsed sharp teeth and a slightly forked tongue. His eyes were furrowed shut as if he was in pain.

His broken arm and most of the fur on his chest was currently matted with blood from the stab wound in his shoulder, but I could see that normally it would be a shimmering black. Almost like my hair usually was. It surprised me that even unconscious, he kept a tight grip on his sword. Speaking of the sword, my burnt hand was starting to throb again and I couldn't just shove the pain to the back of my mind. So I floated over next to the wall and put my hand against it.

As the ice served to soothe the pain from the burn, I noticed that there were plates of some kind of dark metal sewn into what seemed to be leather leggings. Before I could even try to see what it was, my eyes were drawn up to his torso, which was starting to buck up off the cot as his breathing became more and more labored.

"Damn it Simon, hurry up with those tears! He's dying in here!" I held him down, both hands on his chest, so he couldn't hurt himself any more through his unconscious convulsions.

"I got it!" The Ice King rushed out of one corridor, nearly running while juggling a crystalline bottle in his hands. I sighed in relief… the tears should be able to fix the half-dead man's wounds. And then I'd be able to ask what happened to him, and what he knew of the energy surge. Then the sigh turned to a gasp of dread. Just as the Ice King managed to pull the cork out of the bottle, he tripped over Gunter.

The bottle went flying out of his hands, precious tears spilling out in a spray of sparkling droplets. Time seemed to slow down as the bottled flew in between the ice bars, and exploded in a kaleidoscope of glass shards and tears on the unconscious male's chest. His breathing hitched and for a second I thought he'd died. Then the tears soaked into the skin and fur, and travelled over to his wounds. Most went to his left arm, but one went and sealed a tear in his right.

His body stilled, and his breathing settled into a more relaxed state as his broken arm straightened. But the hole in his shoulder didn't close… in fact, it seemed to get worse, a shadowy energy building around it and keeping the tears away. It looked almost like demonic energy…. But it wasn't. It was something completely different… but just as evil.

"Ack! What's that stuff in its shoulder?" The Ice King shrieked again and cowered behind his hamper of dirty laundry.

"I have no idea." I muttered in reply. It was as if two separate powerful magics were fighting, one aiming to heal, and one to kill. To destroy.

Just as it seemed that the shadowed darkness would win, the sword shimmered with a bright blue light, followed by a dark flash, and the shadows vanished. The tears rushed in, and in seconds there weren't any signs left that he'd ever been stabbed there. The fur even grew back to cover the spot.

"Ummm… Marceline, did you see that?" Now that everything seemed to be done, the old wizard got out from behind the hamper and timidly walked over, wringing his hands at the same time.

"See what? The sword flashing?"

"No… the blue and black hands that reached out of the sword and pulled a knife made of darkness out of his shoulder. A knife that even my wizard eyes didn't see until the hands touched it." I hadn't seen that… but sometimes the things Simon saw weren't just things the crown made him see. I grabbed his wrist as he reached out to touch the blade of the sword.

"Don't touch it." He seemed to be about to protest, but then I showed him my hand. "It'll burn you. By the way, could you give me some ice for this?"

"Oh, sure." He wiggled his fingers and a burst of snow flew out, gathered in the palm of my hand, and then turned to ice. I sighed in relief at the soothing cold.

"Thanks. Could you bring in a chair and something to eat? I'm going to stay here until he wakes up. If you have a communicator or anything here, could you send a message to Bubblegum that I found something that she'll want to see?"

A few minutes later I slowly chewing on a bite from an apple while sitting in a chair at the foot of the low cot the sleeping being was on. Actually having to eat food regularly was something else I still hadn't gotten used to after the two years. Simon had decided to go to sleep after sending Bonnie a message over his computer, and had left Gunter to do anything I needed done.

Right now the penguin was curled up in a small nest of old blankets, occasionally letting out a soft "Wenk" in her sleep. Man, that penguin was having some really messed up dreams… no wonder Daddy called her 'The Dark One'.

With a sigh I tossed the apple core away, and pulled a blanket up over the fur-covered man on the cot. Then I settled back to wait.

I'm not sure how many hours later it was, but eventually I drifted off to sleep myself.

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**Author's Note: Well, whaddya think so far people? Good, bad, mid-level? **

**And just to say, as The Awakening of Heroes is not yet finished, not everything will be canon to it. Certain things have been changed slightly as well, to fit my story. As such, I won't be referring in detail to events after a certain point of the other story. (Edit: Now that SCIK is working on it again, I am going through to make things fit more.)**

**Ciao, and please review!**


	4. Chapter Three:(Title wouldn't fit)

**Author's Note: Just to say, as I have no idea how SCIK1012 will do with hers; so in this, I've decided that after the Lich fell the Labyrinth vanished, the landforms went back to their normal places, and the forests and areas he sucked life out of mystically regrew. The animal and people populations have dropped A LOT though.**

**Marceline: Get on with it!**

**Fine… no need to get your panties in a twist.**

**Marceline: What was that?**

**Errr… nothing.**

* * *

Chapter Three: The Green-Eyed Demon of Ooo

The first thing I became aware of as I began to wake was the heat covering my body up to my neck. My fur was enough to keep me warm most of the time, and anything more made it uncomfortably hot. Like now. I opened my eyes and threw off the thick blanket. I raised a hand to my mouth and yawned, before even looking around, and then paused in astonishment.

It was my left hand I'd raised… my left arm. The one that should be broken. My arm felt perfectly fine now… not a hint of pain, not even at the stab wound in my shoulder, which was completely gone when I looked for it.

Shaking aside my surprise at being healed, I took a look at my surroundings. I was in a dimly lit cave made of ice, lying down on a bed of some kind. The family sword was clenched tightly in my right hand, a gentle warmth that couldn't be explained coming from its hilt. Apparently I was lying on my backpack, and it jabbed painfully up into my spine. I grunted a complaint; couldn't whoever brought me here have taken it off? It took a little effort to sit upright, what with the heavy backpack dragging me down and all, but once I did I slipped my arms out of the pack's straps.

I dropped it onto the ground beside the bed, and then looked around again. It seemed this entire place was made of ice, and it was obviously someone's home. My eyes only briefly glanced over the sleeping creature and the unknown objects scattered around the room. I noticed that this bed was inside a caged enclosure seemingly made of ice, but the door was hanging wide open. Then my eyes were drawn to the only thing that seemed like it could answer the questions that were flooding my mind.

Sitting slumped forward in a chair at the foot of my bed was something I didn't recognize. From this angle I couldn't tell if it was male or female, but it was probably a she because of the long black hair hanging from her head and down to the icy floor. Her skin was pale, a sort of bluish-gray color a couple shades lighter than a Fornara's would be. A large double-headed axe was leaning against her chair, and when she shifted with a snore it fell over with a loud clatter. She jumped slightly in her seat, apparently waking from sleep, and looked around.

Apparently she didn't notice me at first, because she started to yawn, her mouth opening wide and showing a pair of large fangs. Then she stopped and looked at me. Her sparkling green eyes widened slightly, and she blinked a few times before rubbing at them. Almost like she thought that she was seeing things.

"Ah, so you're finally awake." She gave me a fanged smile. She probably assumed the odd look that must be on my face was from the smile, because it disappeared instantly. Actually, it was because I was astonished she knew my language… and was currently thinking on what I should and shouldn't tell her, and whoever else was here.

"Ugh… where am I? Last thing I remember is passing out in that odd green forest." I muttered thickly, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. It was only then that I realized that my mouth was drier than the deserts around the Araojinre's inferno, and that I was also incredibly hungry.

"Odd? There wasn't anything odd about the forest I found you in. Not that I could see anyway." I stayed silent after she asked that. The silence stretched on for a few seconds before she broke it. "And right now, you're in the Ice King's palace. Sorry if it's cold, but this was the only place I could get you to before you bled out."

"So you're the one who saved me?" When she nodded, I shakily hopped out of the bed and bowed to her. "I'm in your debt then. I go by Keiro; might I inquire what your name is?"

I was serious by that. A Sildara always pays his debts back in full; honor meant everything to us. Even the most low-down criminals wouldn't turn their backs on someone who saved their life. But I still wasn't going to say everything until I was sure I could trust her.

"You don't owe me anything. I wanted to just leave you to die… but somewhere on you is something I was sent to find." She yawned again and stretched out. I looked down and noticed that her feet weren't touching the ground. "My name's Marceline. I have some questions I'd like to ask, if you feel well enough."

"I have a few of my own first… but before that do you have any food or water here?" My stomach growled. "How did you manage to heal me anyway? Only the Eight have the healing magics…" Ah shit… I'd blurted that out without thinking. It might be that way in my world… but this one might be completely different.

"Oh, sure. Gunter, could you get some un-frozen water for us?" The last part wasn't directed at me, but at the strange creature outside the cage. It waddled off through one of the hallways a few seconds later. "And it was some magical tear goop from a Cyclops that healed you. Don't know how it works myself… but it does."

A Cyclops? What was that? Apparently magic was much more common here than in Xyl.

"Your shoulder wound almost looked like it wouldn't heal… but then something happened and it did. I'll let my friend tell you more… he's a lot more sensitive to this magic junk than me." I just stayed silent, mulling over what I'd already learned.

A few minutes of awkward silence later the black-and-white creature waddled back in with two glasses filled with water. It offered one to me and one to Marceline. I took the one he offered me and drained half of it in one big gulp, before sipping at the rest. The girl… or rather woman, was sipping at hers with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't know what you eat… and I doubt the Ice King has anything you'd like." Marceline apologized, but I just waved it off.

"Don't worry, I have some food in my backpack. After I eat a little I'll answer your questions if you'll answer mine."

I knelt down and opened my backpack, digging around in the clutter of equipment until I found a packet of dried and salted meat. I took it out, carefully unwrapped it from the cured leaf it was in, and then devoured the hunk in a few bites. It took the edge off my hunger, but I dug another out anyway and nibbled at it while sitting on the edge of the cot.

"Ok, ask away with your questions. I'll ask mine when you're done." I told her in between two bites.

"Well… first off, what were you doing up in the Unknown Lands? Do you live up there or something?" Marceline laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them.

"Not exactly. I haven't really had a real home since I was eleven, when my father and I had to go on the run." That wasn't too big of a lie. Marceline seemed to believe it.

"Well, I won't dig too deep into your personal life… but how did you get stabbed?" I decided to tell the truth, more or less, again.

"I kind of got into a fight… it might have looked like I lost, but you should see the other guys. Or at least what little is left of them."

"So you're a soldier?" Her questions seemed to be aimed at a purpose now… maybe trying to make me slip up and get caught in a lie.

"No. My father used to be, but something happened and he quit. Vanished and raised me by himself after Mother died."

"Alright then. Did you notice anything odd before you passed out?"

"No. Between the fight and me passing out I didn't see anything out-of-the-ordinary." Her face twitched a little… but it was gone before I could figure anything much out from it. I felt a few beads of sweat start to well up under my fur… I'd never been a good liar, and it seemed to be catching up to me.

"Interesting. Alright, this is the last question I have for now. Is there anything odd about your sword?"

"This thing?" I picked it up and twisted it so the highly polished dark blade caught the dim sunlight from outside and flashed it in her eyes. Odd how it still seemed to be polished even though it hadn't been cleaned since the fight.

"Well, all that tells me is that you take good care of it. Now please, give an actual explanation."

"Sorry. But as far as I know, there isn't anything special about the sword. It's been passed down in my family for hundreds of generations, but there's nothing special about it other than that." This time I was being honest… but her glare told me I had said something wrong.

"You know what? I think that you're lying. About everything." She grinned again… but this time there was no friendliness or happiness in it. It didn't even reach her eyes. The only thing in those sparkling green orbs was a cold, predatory hunger.

"Wha… what do you mean?" I stuttered out, the sweat starting to run down into my eyes and causing me to blink. "Everything I've told you has been the truth."

"Look… I've had a thousand years of practice spotting lies. Everything about you right now practically SCREAMS that you're a liar who's just been caught." Her hand was resting casually on her axe now, and I tightened my grip on the hilt.. "First off, you lied about the sword."

"No I didn't, there's nothing special about it!" I was practically screaming with nerves now, standing up for no other reason than not being able to stay still, and she just chuckled darkly.

"Now Keiro, you know that's not true. Normal swords don't do this." She shoved her right hand into my face, showing me a twisting pattern scorched into her palm and fingers. A pattern that matched the one on my sword's hilt. I gasped and looked at the sword in shock while Marceline continued. "You see Keiro, normal swords don't burn people like this when they try to pick them up. This is almost like the burn the Silver Cross gave me when I tried to banish another demon with it…" She murmured the last part to herself, but I still heard it.

"Marceline, I had no idea it could do that. I swear on my honor to that." I really hadn't, and she thankfully believed it and released her grip on the axe. I dropped my sword as well, not knowing what else it could or would do. Then I sat down on the cot again with a whump. "I admit, I was lying about several of the things you asked me before, but I never knew it could do that. It never did when Father was forced to use it… and I've only carried it for a few hours."

"You really didn't know?" I put my head in my hands and let the tears I'd been holding back since my father's death flow down my cheeks. The tears of grief for him, and the tears of disgust and horror for myself and all the soldiers I'd killed in front of the portal. Marceline's voice actually seemed slightly caring now… maybe she'd been through something like this before.

"No. Father said there was so much he had to tell me… but then…" I sobbed and couldn't go on. "I never thought that the stories he sometimes told about the sword were true… or the ones about my ancestor for that matter."

"There there, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." She sighed and I looked up for a second to see her sigh. "Just don't try to lie any more, OK?"

"Alright." I muttered back between two great sobs. Marceline seemed uncomfortable, and for the first time since I'd met her she was unsure of what to do. I cried for a few more minutes until the tears dried up and I felt better. Father had always been really nice… but he viewed crying as a sign of weakness, and I always got extra training whenever I was caught crying.

"Well, I'd offer to take you outside to get some fresh air, but I'm still not sure that you wouldn't just run away at the first chance."

"It's fine, I'm used to being inside. Father almost never let me outside the house in the day, and for the past few years we've lived in caves and the wilderness. "

"From the way you talk, I assume your father's dead now, isn't he?" I sniffled a little, and she hastily added, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No, it'll help me get through it. I'm sad, but at least he got his dying wish, which was for me to get away. I got stabbed trying to save him, with a knife I'd conjured myself." I said with a sigh. Marceline plopped down next to me on the bed after sending the creature off on another errand. This time it was to find this 'Ice King' she'd mentioned several times. I admit, I was interested to meet him. From what I'd heard he was a magician of some kind… maybe even like me.

"Look, you can trust me. I know what you're going through, more or less. My mother died when I was really young, and my father and I were never very close. At least not when I was young. If you don't want me to tell anyone something, I won't." I looked up at this. I didn't really know how much I could trust her, but at least she seemed sincere. There was no harm in telling her everything now… I just hoped that she would keep her word. Besides, she obviously knew that most of what I'd told her was a lie.

So I told her about Xyl, and coming through the portal into this world. About the huge flash of light and the boom, of the soldiers I'd fought and been forced to kill. About my father's death and the other Shadowscales who killed him, and then about wandering the forest until I collapsed. I just gave her a brief explanation, because according to her some important people would be coming soon and I'd just have to give the explanation again.

"Well, Gunter should be back soon with the Ice King. But before he gets here, I have one more question to ask that I don't know if you'd like anyone to overhear." She paused to take a breath. I waited to see what the question was. "Anyway, what are these Shadowscales you mentioned? Are they, like, the race you come from?"

Well… I hadn't been expecting that.

"No. My race is the Sildara." Marceline seemed confused at that. "The Shadowed People. We're one of the eight races of Xyl. We've been called different things at times, but most involve the crimson scale at our collarbones. It's impenetrable." I elaborated, and tapped on my scale to make a point.

"Crimson? Your scale is black." She, oh so helpfully, pointed out.

"I was getting to that. But this is something I'd prefer you not tell the others you mentioned. Alright?"

"Alright. So what ARE the Shadowscales?"

"Well, as the name implies, the Shadowscales are Sildara whose scales turn out black. They are the highest caste of our society, and second only to Umbra himself. None of the other races have anything like us, and the Shadowscales give us advantages in the wars." I looked up and met her eyes as she listened with rapt attention. "We have powers over the darkness inside and around us that far surpasses the average Sildara's. Trained Shadowscales can teleport, turn invisible with the shadows, shape them into weapons, and do so much more that I can't even dream about."

"And you're a Shadowscale? Why couldn't you just use these powers to heal yourself?"

"Yes, I am a Shadowscale. But…" I was about to explain how I'd never been trained, how my father had kept me hidden, but noises came down one of the corridors outside and I clammed up.

"Damn… he had to come now didn't he?" Marceline cursed to herself, before turning to me. "We can pick up this conversation later, Keiro, but our gracious host is on his way. He's mostly harmless, so don't worry about that, but he is odd. And slightly insane."

Before I could ask what she meant a blue-skinned man in a cobalt-colored robe stumbled into the room. His nose was long and pointed, and a large white beard covered most of his front. On his head sat a golden crown studded with three red gems, each of which sparkled in the dim light. His eyes were a very pale white. He had in his hands some metal contraption that I couldn't identify.

"Marceline, Bubblegum wants to…" He started, but cut off abruptly when he saw me. "Oh, the thingy's awake. Anyway, Bubblegum's on the vid-screen for you." He handed the machine to Marceline, and the woman walked over into the corner of the room and sat down on a stool.

I jumped as the thing she was holding sparked and a green square popped up above it. A face, and behind it a room, popped up in the square and started talking to Marceline. I might have been able to hear if it wasn't for the startled exclamation I made.

"Ack! What kind of sorcery IS that!" I screamed out, leaping backwards and knocking over the chair Marceline had been in. The blue guy jumped, and then gave me a strange look.

"Sorcery? That isn't sorcery, that's just a vid-screen. This is sorcery!" He raised both arms and made an odd wailing sound as snow and ice started flying away from his hands.

I reacted on instinct when a needle-like shard broke off from a larger chunk and came at me. I waved my arm, and tried something I'd only just started practicing with in this last month. From a pool of shadows in the corner of the room an arm reached out, reacting to my unspoken command. It grabbed the shard of ice just before it hit my nose. I blinked, and my eyes focused on the blurred shape of the ice in front of my face. Then the shadow fist closed and a fine icy powder drifted down.

"Hey, you two better play nice. I'm trying to talk with Bonnie here!" Marceline yelled at us as the snow stopped.

"Sorry Marceline!" The wizard and I both yelled back at the same time, our voices sounding like children caught doing something they shouldn't.

"Erm… sorry about that I didn't mean for that to happen, sometimes I can't control what the crown does." The old man apologized, wringing his hands with an apprehensive look on his face. He didn't seem too insane. "So you're a wizard too? I hope you aren't like those stuck up jerks in Wizard City."

"It's fine. And I'm not really a wizard… not yet anyway. I've never been trained; where I come from there are almost no wizards, a total of about thirty, even though everyone has some base power." I scratched at the back of my head. I wasn't really lying… after all, from what I could gather wizards were the closest thing to Shadowscales here in Ooo.

"Only thirty wizards? We have a whole city just for our kind here in Ooo!" The old man glanced over to where Marceline was engrossed in a conversation with someone on the screen. "Can you do anything other than that?"

"Well…" Eh, what's the harm in telling him what I can do? He was a wizard after all, and since Marceline had called him insane it was unlikely anyone would believe him if he tried to tell anyway. "I can just manipulate the shadows. I can make weapons out of them, cloak myself with them, and make them into shapes like the hand."

"Not bad for someone who hasn't been trained… but just between you and me, I'm not the best wizard, even with my ice powers. Sometimes I think that maybe the princesses would like me if I was better or safer with my magic." He sighed. Right now he didn't seem all that odd or unstable… though from his slightly erratic behavior I could tell he usually was. In fact… he just looked like a sad old man. "Maybe someday I can take you to the Wizard City and find you a teacher. But all those fools are too caught up in the Secret Schools, or infighting between guilds. That's why I live out here in the Ice Mountains, where I've made my kingdom."

"So you're really a king?" If he was… he wasn't that impressive. I was at least a foot taller than him, and much stronger from what I could see.

"Of course I am!" He started giggling randomly, and then jumped up onto the cot and did an odd little dance, lifting his robe to show skeletal feet and legs with blue skin stretched taught over them. Well… now it was kinda obvious that he was at least partly insane. Something had broken his mind… or at least cracked it.

"I'm the king of ice and snow!" He sang over and over. I just stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to do, until Marceline came over once she finished her conversation. She threw a sock at him, and he finally shut up.

"Simon! Stop dancing! Can't you see that you're freaking out poor Keiro here?"

"What-mon?" He replied, scratching at his beard and sending a disgusting rain of skin flakes to the ground.

"Shoo, get out of here! Go clean house or something." Marceline waved a hand dismissively at him. He wasn't much of a king, but still, it had to take guts to talk that way to a king. And a wizard king no less.

"No! I don't wanna!" He whined like a child. "This is MY house! MY kingdom! I can do whatever I want!" Now he sounded like I did when I used to throw tantrums as a child. For a second I thought Marceline would slap him, the method my father had always used to stop my tantrums, but instead she just grinned.

"Exactly, this is YOUR house. And as such, it's your responsibility to clean it up for your guests."

"What guests?" He blinked and then yawned.

"That's what I was going to say before you started acting like a freak and dancing. Princess Bubblegum and the others are coming here to meet Keiro. Don't you want your house to be nice for the princess?" Marceline grinned and tilted her head sideways at him. The man's eyes widened for some reason at the last words, and then he let out an excited squeal.

"Princess Bubblegum is coming?!" He yelled out excitedly, hopping back and forth like an excited little girl. Then when Marceline nodded he turned and ran off giggling. "Gunter! Follow me and get the other penguins! We need to clean up the palace and prepare some guest rooms!"

The woman sat down on the bed, but I just stayed leaning against the wall. The chill from the ice felt good.

"So, what was that thing?"

"You mean the vid screen? You don't have any real technology in your world do you?"

"Not really. I don't think so anyway… our world's really all different, aren't they? But anyway, who were you talking to?"

"A friend of mine, the princess of the Candy Kingdom. She's the one that sent me to find the source of an energy surge up in the Unknown lands. Instead I found you. She's coming out to meet you, along with some of our other friends. With what you told me of the fortress on the other side of that portal, and of your world's nature, I think its best that all of us get together again and talk to you. In case your world tries to invade."

"A princess? Just how many royals do you know? And how do you have the guts to tell a king what to do? If anyone spoke to a king like that in my world, they'd be dead in seconds."

"I know every royal in Ooo. I talk to the Ice King like that because I've known him for nearly a thousand years. I knew him back during the Mushroom War, when he was still the Simon I used to know. Then that damned crown took him over completely and destroyed his mind. Sometimes he almost remembers… but then he goes back to this Grod-damned ignorance and childishness. I rarely visit him, mainly because it hurts to see him laid low like this." Marceline sighed and seemed to be on the verge of crying. She must really have cared for this man once… but I wouldn't pry into her personal life, since she hadn't pried into mine.

"EVERY royal? How?"

"Because I'm a queen myself. Well, a queen and a princess technically." She cryptically elaborated.

"How does that work? I thought you could only be one or the other." I didn't know much about royalty… after all, the Eight never had children and they were the only kings and queens in Xyl.

"Well, first you should hear my full name: Marceline Abadeer. My father's the Lord of Evil, and the ruler of the Nightosphere. I'm technically his heir, though as he's immortal I doubt I'll ever rule there. Nor do I want to, even though he's tried several times to pass leadership to me. But that doesn't really count much. The main reason I know all the royalty is because I'm the Vampire Queen. Or at least I used to be."

"What's a vampire, and what do you mean used to be?"

For what must have been hours we just sat there talking. I described to her the crimson skies and cobalt sun of Xyl; she described to me the yellow sun and blue skies of Ooo. I told her of the black and red forests, the azure fields. She told me of forests filled with speaking plants, of amber waves of grain. I told of the emerald oceans of the Draedara, which I had only briefly seen when my father took me there on some unknown business. She told me of sparkling blue seas and the monsters she'd fought, both by herself and on some adventure two years ago to save this world.

She told me some things about her world and its people, and I did the same about mine. Marceline explained about vampires and what she had been. She told me how she'd sacrificed her immortality and vampiric powers to save a friend. I told her about all the trips Father had taken me on to each and every realm of Xyl. I explained more about my being a Shadowscale, how all of us belonged to Umbra from birth. How I had been hidden and what I could do with my powers.

After a few hours we stopped talking and she went off to nap some, and I walked outside to take in some of the view for myself.

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**Author's Note: So what did you think so far? I liked writing this, and the next one too. But I feel there's stuff I could do better, that my writing is oddly strained and lacking in something I can't identify. Any ideas on what it could be?**


	5. Chapter Four: Questioning Keiro

**Author's Note: Hope you guys are liking this so far, I know I'm loving writing it.**

**Keiro: Finally you named me!**

**Hey, it didn't take too long.**

* * *

Chapter Four: Questioning Keiro

The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky by the time I woke up. I must have slept a good six hours… and man was I refreshed. I floated up off the bed with a yawn. Then I set off to find water and something to eat. I had missed lunch after all, and a girl's got to eat.

In the hallway the penguins were rushing around in a frenzy and odd noises were echoing throughout the icy corridors of the palace. I spotted a group carrying a rolled up carpet that had to weigh more than the three of them put together. I guess the Ice King really had decided to clean up for Bonnie. On the way to the Ice King's kitchen/pantry I noticed that some hallways were being widened, that others were swept clear of trash. New columns and pillars supported elaborately decorated rooms, and ice sparkled and glittered in the light at every turn. It was almost starting to look like a real palace now.

When I finally found the kitchen, I grabbed a few apples and ate one of them. The other two I just carried along with me. Maybe Keiro would want to try one.

Wow… I'd never realized that there were so many penguins here. There must be hundreds, judging from all the traffic and construction noise as I walked through the main hallway. Some of the things the penguins were carrying looked brand new… but others looked ancient, like things I hadn't seen since the Mushroom War ended.

When I got back to the main room, I saw Keiro playing with Gunter's kitten. Even though it was over two years old, it hadn't grown to look like a normal cat. It was still a fuzzy purple kitten, and unlike with the penguins, I couldn't make sense of the noises it made. Right now Keiro was tossing disks of ice into the air, and the kitten alternated between floating or jumping up to catch them in its mouth, and shooting them with lasers from its eyes. The Sildara, or at least that's what he'd told me he was, laughed like a little kid as the kitten scrabbled around on the ice.

Simon seemed to be in one of his more lucid moods, and was working on one of his drum sets in the corner. His other was nowhere to be seen, but it looked like he was doing a pretty professional job of repairing the set that I'd only seen busted before. Then the kitten missed the disk and the lasers blasted a hole in the front wall. Sunlight streamed through as ice shards flew everywhere.

"Hey! Careful, I need to get this place patched up before Bubblegum gets here!" And there went the lucid mood and in came the more princess-obsessed personality. Sometimes I wondered how much of it was just the crown, and how much was actually a repressed part of Simon's personality. Then the old man walked over and raised his arms. The gems on his crown sparkled, and the cloudy ice expanded over the hole. After a minute, it was like it had never even been there.

"Hey you two." I called out to get their attention. "Catch." Then I threw an apple at each of them. You know, just to see how they'd react.

The Ice King shrieked and ducked, but he was too slow and the apple knocked the crown off his head. It rolled a little ways across the ground before he snatched it up. Keiro, however, reacted impressively. He spun around and ducked at the same time as his arm shot out and snatched the apple. I only then noticed that he had short claws on each hand, as they sank an inch or two into the red fruit. Juice ran down his arm as he looked at it curiously.

"What's this?" He sniffed at it cautiously, and then his forked tongue flicked out and tasted some of the juice leaking from where his claws were lodged in the fruit.

"It's an apple. A fruit, go ahead; it's safe to eat." I floated over to where I'd left my axe-bass and picked it up. I strummed a few notes and tuned it as I continued, and he started eating the fruit. "Nice catch by the way, haven't seen reflexes like that in a while. Not even Finn has ones that good."

"Hmm… tastes good." He mumbled through a mouthful of semi-chewed fruit. "And thanks, Father always said that reflexes are a must-have for a swordsman. Are you actually playing music with your axe?"

"Yeah. It's my axe-bass. It's still a weapon, and a good one at that, but I've turned it into a bass as well." I grinned and played a short tune on it. "I'm not too bad, if I do say so myself."

"I've never had a chance to play an instrument, so can't judge you there. That sounds nice though." Keiro bit the last part of the apple off, and then swallowed the core. I cracked up laughing as he continued. "But how are you with using it as a weapon? And what's so funny?"

"You're not supposed to eat the core! You can break a tooth doing that, and besides the seeds are in the core." I told him after I stopped laughing. "And this was an axe first, until I took it from my father. I'm decent with it."

"Maybe we can spar later? But not with our weapons, don't want to scratch or break them after all."

"Sure, after the sun goes down maybe." I yawned again and put my axe-bass back in its loop. "Hey Ice King, where are your penguins getting all the stuff that they're decorating with?"

"From the old city, where else?" He replied as he started working on his drums again. What old city did he mean? The one where we'd met so long ago, and that he'd taken me away from as his mind began to fade? The city I'd never been able to find after that through the raging blizzards and the re-arranging continents?

"What old city? Do you mean Gilroy?" I pressed, rushing over to him and spinning him around so that he faced me. For a second I thought that Simon had beaten the crown as a struggle went across his face. Then it ended and the blank and confused Ice King sat before me.

"Gil-wah? What's this about a city?" At this reply I shoved him away and starting flying deeper into the icy palace. Seeing how low Simon had fallen, what the crown had done to him, brought tears to my eyes, and I refused to let either of them see me cry.

After a few minutes of hurried floating above the penguins, I found a corner that they'd renovated but hadn't yet lit with the glowing crystals that they were setting into the ice all throughout the new hallways. I sat in the corner, facing the wall, and just let the sad and bitter tears flow. My body was wracked with sobs over my friend.

I was still crying when Keiro walked down the hall and found me. He didn't say anything, just sat down next to me. Without turning my head I watched him from the corner of my eye. He seemed to have a short internal conflict, judging by the emotions crossing his furred face, and after a moment of hesitation he put an arm around my shoulders. I stiffened at first, but then relaxed and leaned back. If anyone else had done it, and even if he had tried it at any other time, I probably would have killed them.

As it was, the arm just helped to comfort me. I knew he had good intentions after all. Besides, he kept a polite distance between us, but I was still grateful for the companionship and warmth his presence brought. After a few minutes of just sitting there my tears started to dry up and he broke the awkward silence.

"Sorry for that. I've never been around girls or women much, and it just felt like the right thing to do since you were crying." I turned and gave him a small smile as he continued. "If it's not too personal, may I ask what you were crying about?"

"It's about Simon." I sighed and wrapped my arms around my knees. "It almost looked like the crown was losing control when I asked him about Gilroy. For a minute I actually thought that he'd break free from its influence, and that his old personality would come back. But then…" I had to stifle a sob and couldn't bear to continue. I was disgusted at how weak and choked my voice was, but Keiro either didn't care or didn't notice.

"It's alright, I understand. You must really care for him, don't you?" He asked, taking his arm away. I missed it almost instantly, but there was no way I'd say that and ask him to put it back.

"Yeah, I do. He was more of a father to me than mine ever was. For two years during the Mushroom War he protected me. From after my mother was killed, all the way up until humanity nearly wiped itself and everything else out. He was a nice, brilliant man before the war, but the crown took everything from him. His job, his fiancée, his old life. All of that ended as soon as he put it on. He always carried it with him, and I was forced to watch as it started to take him over completely."

"Right before his sanity was completely gone he took me away from the city we'd both lived in when the war started. He found my father and put me in his care, and then left. Up until a few years ago I rarely saw him. But somehow he always kept finding me, and every time he did I moved. Just so I wouldn't have to see what he'd become."

"That must have been hard, losing your mother and a surrogate father. So why did you ask if it was Gilroy where the penguins got the stuff they were carrying?"

"Because I could never find it after he took me away. The continents were re-arranging and fierce storms were everywhere by the time I was old enough to travel off to find it. Even before we left I knew that nobody else was alive in the city. Aside from a few bombings that destroyed many areas, the rest of it was perfectly fine and undamaged by the gas that killed everyone but me and Simon. I've always wondered what happened to the city… and now I think I know."

"What do you think happened to it?"

"I think it's underneath the Ice Kingdom. Either covered by the ice, or in a cavern that he left open." I replied, and we sat there for another minute or two in silence. Then he got up and offered a hand. He was such a gentleman… apparently his father had taught him manners as well as fighting. I took it, feeling a shiver go through me that I hadn't felt since before Ash turned into a sexist bastard, and hauled myself to my feet. The feeling was like when I'd picked him up to fly here… but this time I didn't berate myself. After all, he was a nice guy. And besides… he was cute, in a furry sort of way.

"Thanks for coming to find me." I sincerely told him, grinning. He smiled back, his purple eyes flashing, but didn't reply. My stomach fluttered, and I realized that I might actually be falling for him. But I'd wait until I knew him better to decide.

"So, when are these friends you mentioned coming? And who are they, really?" He asked as we walked back to the main sitting room.

"Well, they're the others who were on the adventure with me to find the Cosmic Weapons. There were eight of us. Me, Susan Strong; I'm not sure what exactly she is, Finn the human, Jake the dog, Princess Bubblegum, Flame Princess, the Ice King, and Billy the hero. It was a long and hard adventure, as I told you earlier, but we did it in the end and destroyed the Lich."

"And all of them are coming here to get my story, and in case the others from Xyl decide to invade?"

I gave him an affirmative to that, and then we spent the next few hours talking about the adventure.

* * *

"Ready?" I called out across the flattened sheet of ice to Keiro. I swung the dull icy axe that the Ice King had made for this bout of sparring in lazy arcs. The Sildara across from me was doing the same with his sword. A few of the penguins and the Ice King himself were watching us, over the rough plane of ice that they'd flattened for us earlier. They'd even gone through the trouble of marking the boundaries for the arena. The first one to step out of the boundaries, or to be in a situation they couldn't win, would lose.

"When you are." He called back, an excited smirk on his face. I admit I was glad for this too. I almost never got the chance to spar with people like this. In fact, I hadn't sparred with weapons for over a hundred years. This was going to be fun.

"And…" The Ice King, serving as an announcer and referee, began. "Begin!" He finished.

Before the words even died into silence Keiro had launched himself across the arena. I did the same, but he was moving far faster. He didn't stop to circle and gauge my skill, as I'd expected, and instead lunged at me as soon as he could with a sweeping blow that would have snapped my axe's handle. I was forced to dodge and roll to the side.

My feet were actually on the ground now, as I preferred it when fighting, and they easily gripped the rough surface of the ice as I jumped upright again. I deflected his next slash with the head of my axe, and then went on the attack with an overhead blow. He stepped to the side, and jumped to avoid the kick at his shin.

A few swings later and it looked like he was on the defensive, no longer striking out at me and constantly giving ground. His movements were beginning to slow as he grew fatigued. A few more steps back and he'd be out of bounds. Then he made a rookie mistake and I was sure I'd won. His sword splintered as he tried to block an overhead blow, leaving him with a short, but razor-sharp, stump. I was just about to kick him out of bounds when I noticed the big grin on his face. It unnerved me, greatly, but I continued with the kick anyway. It was a big mistake on my part.

Faster than before, he dodged to the side and kicked my axe up and out of my hands. Then before it even hit the ground, or I could react, he spun around behind me. In less than a second I felt an icy prick against my neck, and his other arm circle around my stomach and pull me against him so I couldn't escape. My breathing hitched and my insides heated up slightly at the feeling of his warm body pressed against mine.

"Give up, you're beaten and you know it." He whispered into my ear. Apparently he was either the same height as me or just a little taller. I grinned to myself, knowing something he didn't. Sure, I'd been surprised by his strategy and against anyone else this would have been the end, but I wasn't anyone else.

"Am I?" I retorted, before transforming into my small bat form. While he was still confused as to where I'd gone, I flew between his legs and transformed back.

Then I shoved him-out-of-bounds.

The useless hilt of his sword flew from his hands as he sprawled on the ground. The Ice King had been announcing our moves all through the fight, but I hadn't been paying attention. Now he announced that I'd won, through use of a dirty trick. I shot him a glare at that, and then helped Keiro up.

"That has to be a foul or something." He complained bitterly. "I had you and you know it."

"Not a foul." I stuck my tongue out at him, fairly successfully hiding the growing affection I felt for him. "Nowhere in the rules did it say we couldn't use our powers. And shape-shifting just happens to be one of mine."

"That was still a dirty trick." He popped a shard of ice into his mouth and crunched it up. I gave him an odd look, to which he replied: "What, I like the cold of it."

"Alright then…. Anyway, I admit that it was a dirty trick. I just don't like losing much. You're a lot faster than I thought, and the feigning exhaustion and making your sword shatter was brilliant."

"Thanks, it's a tactic that Father taught me in case I ever met my match. He always said that trickery and deceit was perfectly fine in a battle. You're really good though… I was only faking half the steps back." He replied with a compliment just as honest as mine had been.

We spent the rest of the night talking about different tricks we'd learned for fighting. And we also demonstrated a few of them as well. We each taught each other a few tricks with our chosen weapons. He was much better with a sword than I was, but I did learn a few faults in my technique. He made me tell him more about my powers though… I guess he was curious, and just didn't want me to cheat with them next time we sparred.

As the sun came up we walked back inside and separated to sleep. Apparently the Sildara preferred the night as well, but weren't affected by daylight like I had been as a vampire.

* * *

Two days later the penguins and the Ice King finished renovating. What had once been a maze of dimly-lit tunnels and dingy rooms of ice became a sparkling, richly decorated palace within the mountain. Glowing crystals lit every room and corridor, and along with new bedrooms there were a ton of recreational rooms as well. Some had ancient T.V's hotwired to accept the current broadcasts that Bonnibel had made possible. It wouldn't be too long before we actually managed to launch new satellites, and wouldn't have to rely on the decrepit network for internet on the few new computers.

The palace, as it truly was now, had several indoor arenas and exercise rooms. It had a swimming pool way down beneath the ice, insulated with metal sheets and scavenged foam, heated by a hot-spring. It was amazing what the penguins had managed to make, scavenge, or modify from the city I was sure was underneath us.

* * *

Three days later everyone was gathered and settled into the palace, and then we were ready to question Keiro. Bonnibel and the others had been extremely surprised by the Ice Palace, and even they admitted it was impressive.

"I have to say, Ice King, this is almost as nice as the Candy Palace." Bonnibel commented as the old wizard led me and the other six to the room where Keiro was waiting. Simon wasn't really in a lucid mood, but he was on his best behavior. He was almost respectable… almost. "If you keep up changes like this, but in your personality, you might be let back onto the Council of Royals."

"Thank you Princess." Was the old man's only reply. He wasn't wearing his old stained blue tunic; instead it was a pristine wizard's robe of the same color. He'd even trimmed his beard some.

The others talking among themselves for the rest of the walk, and then we got to the antechamber of the Ice King's new conference room. Its doors were huge, they must be from a bank in the old city, and I had no idea how the penguins had managed to bring the huge panels of burnished metal up through the hallways and set their massive hinges into the icy doorframe. I wonder if they had magic of their own, or if the wizard had let them use his demonic wishing eye to help with renovations.

The doors opened with a clang as they struck the ice, which surprisingly didn't chip or crack, and we walked in and sat around the antique table with its matching chairs. Keiro was already seated at the round table, and I took the chair to his left. Finn ended up on his right, and they exchanged polite greetings.

"Remember, we don't have anything against you. We just need to know about Xyl. I'll back you up on what you say, and I'll try to ensure we don't go into anything about your powers." I whispered to him from the corner of my mouth. He replied with a barely perceptible nod. And then we began.

"If everything's in order, we can begin." Bonnibel stated in a formal voice.

"Marceline said your name is Keiro, is that correct?"

"Yes it is." He replied coolly.

"Well, I'm Princess Bubblegum, current leader of the Candy Kingdom. You've already met Marceline and the Ice King, but the others are friends of ours and fellow heroes." Each of the others introduced themselves to Keiro.

"Alright, with those formalities out of the way, let's continue." Bonnie actually had a handheld computer of her own design taking notes as we spoke… typical of her. "Marceline told me earlier that she found you near-dead in a forest north of here, and that you came from another world. Correct?"

"Yes, it is. I'm from a world that its inhabitants call Xyl. I was involved in a…" He paused as if thinking what to say. "conflict before coming through a portal into this world. I believe the portal's opening is what caused the energy surge that Marceline says you sent her here to find."

"What makes you believe that?"

"In my world it caused a tremendous boom, a massive flash of light, and sent a tremor through the ground that made the ash jump up into the air several inches. I assume it had similar effects in this world, and Marceline said that there were two sources of energy marked on the radar you gave her. One was with me, though I have no idea what it is, and the other has to be the portal."

"What's your world like? Are all the people there like you?" Finn broke in, earning a little glare from Bonnibel, but she didn't complain.

"Well, Xyl is a harsh world. Almost all creatures, and most plants, that you find there are dangerous. The skies are a shimmering red, the sun a brilliant blue unlike yours. The oceans are a sparkling emerald green. But unlike what I've seen here, our world isn't peaceful. All eight races are constantly fighting wars that aren't our own."

"What do you mean wars that aren't your own?" Finn interjected to ask.

"First off I need to give you a little background on our races, then you'll understand more." Keiro answered, before taking a breath.

"As I said, there are eight races. The Eolnara, or the Earthen People; they're closely associated with the ground and the mountains. The Fornara, the Frozen People; they live in vast cities and halls of ice, and would be quite comfortable here. The Araojinre, the People of the Inferno; they're aggressive and powerful. Their hair is made of fire, and their cities are surrounded by deserts. The Araojlio, the People of the Lightning. Their homes are on plains where lightning strikes every day, underneath an eternal thundercloud. The Araojvin, the People of the Vine. They can control and speak to plants and animals, and inhabit the only jungles in our world. They're a deadly foe only because of the trained beasts they control. The Draedara, the Drowned People. The seas are their domain, the razor sharp shells and fangs they use as weapons can pierce any metal, and they have many gleaming underwater cities." He paused again, and I noticed the worry growing in the others looks.

"Then there are the last two races… and as many say, the strongest and deadliest. The Araojial, the People of the Mind. Devastating psychics, they are the weakest of the races physically, and the smallest group, but they are incredibly dangerous foes. Even the lowest soldiers can torment you with sickening visions and take over your mind, and the older and more powerful ones can take over and control entire squads. The only reason they don't rule are my people, the Sildara. We're the Shadowed People, immune to their mind control and telekinetic abilities. A blood feud has simmered between us since time began. We've also been called the People of the Scale, of course, due to the crimson scales on our collarbones." His lengthy explanation was interrupted by Finn again.

"Umm dude… your scale isn't red. It's black." This was getting into hazardous territory, too close to Keiro's powers, so I decided to answer instead of him.

"Yes Finn, he knows. It's just a recessive genetic trait that he inherited from his ancestors." The big words stumped Finn, but it cleared up the slight confusion on Bonnie's face.

"Anyway." Keiro cut in again. I sat, still as the others, and waited to hear the explanation. "Each race is ruled by a single, immortal deity who rules with an iron fist. Umbra rules the Sildara, Ravaza the Araojial, Terrak the Eolnara, Glaci the Fornara, Syl the Araojvin, Tarala the Araojlio, Salazar the Araojinre, and Kobala the Draedara. They carry out personal feuds, killing thousands upon thousands of people in pointless battles. Every time one of them dies, they're just reborn a few years later. Most people are completely fine with that, not even noticing or caring about being oppressed. My father was different."

"How so?" It was Flame Princess this time that asked. I smiled to myself when I saw how she was holding Finn's hand under the table. They made a cute couple, when she had the Pyralis Sapphire at least.

"Well, he was a soldier. A swordmaster. He led one of the most elite units in our army, and was in the vanguard for Umbra himself on one invasion. But then something changed… his men were killed somehow, he never told me exactly what happened, and then he left. He never outright said it, but I assume everyone thought he was dead. Ever since I was eleven we'd been on the run." Keiro almost looked like he was starting to tear up again. On an impulse, I reached over to where his hands were resting on his legs. Underneath the table, where nobody could see, I took his hand in mine. He jolted a little bit, but then relaxed and intertwined his warm, furred fingers with my cooler, smooth ones.

"Had? What changed?" It was Bonnibel who asked this question. Apparently she was trying to get this back on track. Keiro's grip tightened and I decided to spare him the grief of saying it himself

"He died and Keiro went through the portal. Don't ask any more okay? The grief's still too raw for him to talk about it much." I cut in for him, and his grip, which had tensed up when Bonnie asked her last question, relaxed a little.

"Alright then, I'm sorry for stirring up bad memories." Bonnie actually did seem sorry… being compassionate and sympathetic were some of her good qualities, after all. "But now onto the main reason I called you all here today. Keiro, do you think that your world will try to invade Ooo?"

"Yes. Before they even opened the portal they started building a fortress around its opening point in our world. It seemed to be just a big wall when I fought through it, but there's almost definitely a whole complex underground since the Eolnara were involved. Once they manage to get through the portal, I know that they'll build one on this side too."

"If what you've said is true, this is bad." It really would be bad… so many people had died in the fight against the Lich, and no kingdom had survived completely intact. Some of the Lich's creatures had even gotten into Lumpy Space. It would be centuries until we recovered completely from that, and now after just two years we were facing an invasion… I sure hope that the Fire Kingdom's army can handle the Xylans… but the odds were against it.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it. Xyl has had many thousands of years to perfect the art of war, and in fact it's the only thing we've been able to do. The most horrifying part, and deadliest for this world, is that the eight races and their deities have put aside their differences and feuds and united. Soldiers from each race were preparing to come through the portal when my father and I broke through. Somehow when I came through the portal changed, because nothing followed, but I have no idea if it has opened again or not."

"Wait, you sealed the portal when you came through?"

"No, something changed when I did. It was pure swirling white when I stepped through, but when I came out it was tainted with blues and blacks."

"We need to talk for a second, would you mind stepping outside for a moment Keiro?" Bonnie, still the epitome of royal etiquette, asked. Only when Keiro had walked outside and shut the door did I realize that I missed having his hand in mine.

"Alright, Marceline and Billy, you two are the experts on war here. What do you think about our chances?" Bonnibel sighed and rubbed at her head, as if she was already getting a headache.

"Well…" Billy and I began at the same time, but then I waved for him to continue.

"I don't have enough to tell yet. The boy said nothing about their numbers, and we don't know how they compare to our soldiers in actual skill. This part about godlike rulers… that's far too close to the Lich for comfort. Even with the cosmic weapons, I can't say for sure on our chances. The best course of action would be to either destroy the portal, or seal it where nobody can get in our out." Billy's choice of action was cautious, just like you'd expect from a hero as old as him, who had fought in several of Ooo's wars.

"Alright. Now Marceline, your view?"

"I don't think we stand a chance. I've sparred against Keiro, and he would have beaten me if I hadn't cheated. I doubt that all of their soldiers are as good as him, but even if they're half as good they could easily rip-through your candy army Princess. The Fire Kingdom's would fare much better; they might even be able to go head-to-head against one depending on its size. However, against eight armies merged I don't think they could survive." The table erupted into an uproar at that, but it was the truth. Depending on the Xylan numbers, we'd either be wiped out or be on an even playing field.

"Quiet! Quiet!" Finn suddenly yelled out, banging on the table. After a few seconds everyone shut up and turned to look at him and F.P. "Isn't the answer obvious? We go up to that portal…" Finn began.

"… and call for a brigade of soldiers from my home to join us. We'll try to close the portal, and if we can't we'll fortify the area and kill them as they come out!" The fiery elemental finished for him. Then they turned and grinned to each other.

"… that's actually not that bad of a plan." Jake and Bonnie said at the same time. I chuckled.

"What? We can make good plans!" Finn and F.P. protested at the same time. "Besides, along with politics and all the royal junk that Flame King's tutors have been shoving into our heads, they teach us tactics and strategy." Finn finished for them both.

"Wow Brother. And you haven't been inviting me?" Jake whined. "I would have loved to learn all that stuff!"

"But you were busy with Lady and your kids! I…" I sensed an argument about to start between the dog and his adopted human brother, and apparently Susan did too. She clapped a hand over each of their mouths, and then tucked one under each arm.

"Not the time for fighting! We go." She tilted her head, the tail sewn into her cat-like hat swinging, and looked at Bonnibel. "Right?" Bubblegum had been tutoring her, and the entire Hyooman tribe, for the past two years as well. Susan was learning faster, and had really taken to English. She still hadn't mastered it, but compared to how she used to talk, it was a massive improvement.

"Yes Susan, it's time to go." The candy princess agreed, and we all walked out. Keiro fell into step with us outside the conference room. I filled him in on how we were going to the portal, to either close it or fortify it, and he agreed that it was a good plan.

"Gunter, you're in charge while I'm gone!" The penguin clapped enthusiastically as the Ice King knelt to talk to him. "You know what to do if a stranger shows up, right?"

"Wenk?" The penguin replied. I stopped in my tracks at hearing that. Damn, those penguins would put Daddy to shame.

"Yes Gunter, rip their guts out while they're still alive and then crush their skulls. But don't eat them, they might be diseased." Everyone blinked at that, and then through a unanimous silent decision the rest of us pretended we hadn't heard anything. "Oh yeah, you can give the others the day off too, just try not to mess up the pool too badly!"

It had been decided while we walked that Jake would carry us all to the portal, with me telling him where to go.

"Hop on everyone! We should get moving, who knows when that portal will open again!" The magical dog called out as he spread out and flattened his body. Keiro jumped and stared wide-eyed at it, even though I'd explained about his powers before. But we all piled on, it turned out to be a bony plate that Jake had expanded his back into, and he made some chairs and couches pop up. I sat in the one closest to his ears.

Once everyone was on, his body and legs grew exponentially. We shot up several hundred feet into the air almost instantly, leaving everyone's stomachs behind, and under my direction we set off into the forests to the north.

Each step shook the ground, and we moved forward at a slow and steady pace.

* * *

For about half an hour, during which Keiro talked some with Finn and his girlfriend, we travelled. He easily made friends with the human and the elemental, with Susan too. Billy and Bonnibel were talking about something or other for the entire trip, while the Ice King just sat by himself brooding about something.

Finally I started to recognize the forest, and after another minute or two of traveling I saw a glint of light in the distance. I directed Jake toward it, and we finally arrived at the clearing where Keiro had entered our world. At the edge of it Jake shrunk down to his normal form, and we all started walking up the grassy hill. When we reached the top, the portal came into view.

It was as Keiro had described it, a swirling vortex of white light shot through with blues and blacks. It was at the same time similar, and completely different, from other portals I'd seen.

"Do you guys hear that?" Jake asked. Everyone else said no, but I tilted my head to the side. At the highest edge of my hearing there was a barely perceptible hum.

"Yeah, I do. I don't think the hum's from the portal. Keiro, can you hear it?" I asked the Sildara, who was currently kneeling and looking at the brown stain of his dried blood on the grass.

"No… I don't hear anything. But it feels like my sword's vibrating." He pulled the dark blade out of the improvised strap it was hanging in, and held it up for us all to see. It was visibly vibrating, shaking his arm. As he walked closer to the portal the colors swirled faster. Could it be that something in the sword was holding the portal closed?

"We can see about that later. For now let's try to close the portal. Everyone have their Cosmic Weapons?" Bonnibel stated, and we all nodded. "Well get them out."

I brought out the Silver Cross, feeling the energy flowing within it, while the others did the same. Finn pulled Sigma off his back, the sapphire in its hilt glowing. Billy drew Nothung, and the sapphire, which had coalesced on the skull on its hilt, lit brightly as well. The Pyralis Sapphire flared into brilliant light as the elemental wrapped a hand around it. Blue light seeped out of the Ice King's beard as his Duple-Bracelet reacted to the others, and as he slipped it on another old wizard appeared beside him. Bonnibel settled her warping sphere into the palm of her hand, blue light seeping from the machines insides.

The Artemis Bow, which Susan now carried, practically floated from her back and into her hands with a light even brighter than the rest. And finally Jake reached in, next to his heart, and pulled out the Siren's ring. It's gem flared up with a blue light, matching the rest of the weapons.

We gathered in a semi-circle in front of the portal, and as the weapons got even closer together they sent up beams of blue light into the sky. Keiro hung back, unsure of what to do, as Bubblegum explained. We were to activate our weapons, as we had in the fight with The Lich when they had accepted us as worthy heroes, and focus their raw power and the abilities onto the portal.

A blue aura gathered, swirling around the Silver Cross, and elongated until it was almost like I was holding a massive holy sword. Every weapon was doing something similar, but different, the effects unique on each. The Ice King's double grew, expanded, and was enveloped in a translucent blue aura.

Susan drew back on her bow, wings seeming to spread from the ends of it, and a swirling blue light gathered into an arrow. Billy aimed his sword at the portal, and Flame Princess drew on the energy she'd stored in her amulet to grow into a deep blue version of her giant flaming form. Those were the more visible effects the weapons had, but there were many more that couldn't be glimpsed in the material plane. I was sure only the Ice King could see those, however.

"Now!" Bonnie shouted, very uncharacteristic of her, and we used the same thing that had been the final attack that destroyed The Lich.

From the sapphires set in each weapon a beam of cobalt light shot out. Rather than continuing straight into the portal, they merged right in front of it. In one thick beam of energy, they plunged into the portal. The colors inside vanished and were replaced by the cerulean light. A high-pitched shriek tore through the previously silent air. I turned to look, but before I could see anything the portal overcame our power.

The energy we'd accumulated backfired, and then the concentrated magic had no place to go. For a second I thought it was going to explode and kill us all. But then F.P. closed her eyes and opened the hand that held her necklace. She focused, and then all the energy rushed into the Pyralis Sapphire. It flashed brighter than the sun, and by the time the afterimage of the light cleared from my eyes it had settled back to its normal color. Before it had absorbed the energy, though, the backwash had drained the other weapons and wiped out their effects. They were barely even glowing anymore… but hopefully their power would regenerate over time.

Then I looked at the portal, and my heart fell. I forgot all about the shriek I'd heard.

"F.P., when did you say those soldiers would get here?" I asked as my face fell.

"A few hours; they're coming through Lumpy Space using the portals, and once they get out of the closest one to here they'll be flying for about an hour. Why?"

I didn't reply, and just took her head in my hands and turned it to the pristine and swirling white portal.

* * *

**Author's Note: As SCIK hasn't yet put in how they actually beat the Lich, I took a few liberties of my own.**

**Anyway, hope you all like it so far! And remember, updates every Friday or once I get five reviews on a single chapter. So please review!**


	6. Chapter Five: (Title Won't Fit)

**Author's Note: I have a feeling this might be confusing some people, so clearing it up now. Marceline refers to Princess Bubblegum as Bonnie, Bonnibel, and Princess. And don't worry if you don't get the middle section, with the Card Wars match, because it confused me while writing it. I just liked the episode when it came on again, and needed some filler, soooo.**

**Marceline: Well, yeah, I think that's common knowledge. Now get on with it!**

* * *

Chapter Five: A Close Encounter of the Sixth Kind

When the blinding beams of light had shot out from the so-called 'Cosmic Weapons' I had thought they might actually manage to close the portal, even though I had suspected that it had taken eight gods to open it. Their effects were quite impressive, after all, and they had apparently been made with the power of a god. And had been used to kill a god-like immortal.

But then my sword had started vibrating like crazy. The edge had torn through the leather strap I had improvised for it, and it had stayed floating in the air, suspended by some kind of power. I had hissed and stepped back, worried about what it might do, when it had suddenly lit itself on fire with blue-and black flames… the same shades as in the portal. Then a pained face had appeared, in flickering green, purple, and blue flames, above the rest.

It had tried to say something, but the words had dissolved into a shriek of pain. Then it was over and the flames winked out, the sword falling onto the grass and laying still. Before I had gotten over the shock of what it had done and moved to pick it up, the portal had virtually exploded. The light had seared my eyes even worse than when the portal opened, and I couldn't think about anything but the burning pain in them.

When I finally stopped seeing spots and could focus on what was happening, I saw everyone turn to look at the portal. All of us made various noises of dismay; the portal had cleared and was now the same pristine white as when I came through. It was open again, and who knew how long it would be until the soldiers on the other side noticed and passed through?

I quickly scooped up my sword, I wasn't intending to tell anyone what it had done, and rushed over to where the pink-clothed princess was giving frantic orders.

"… hurry up! They might come through any minute now!" Was what I caught at first, and the fiery girl ran over to the side of the clearing and pulled something out of her pocket. She started talking into it as the Princess continued. "The rest of you, start doing your best to make a defensive position or something around the portal. I'm going to get Peppermint Butler on the phone… I'll ask him to bring the forbidden weapons."

The princess strolled off, taking out a device of her own, as the dog grew in size again. He started ripping up whole trees, and the others began to trim them into planks and boards. For the most part anyway. Then Marceline and I worked on setting the planks and sometimes whole trunks into the ground to form a rough wooden wall. Or at least, that's what we meant to do. It ended up looking more like something had just knocked down a few trees and left them sitting there.

"Um guys, this isn't working." I pointed out after a few minutes. Everyone stopped and stepped back to look.

"Yeah…" Finn said dejectedly. "It does kind of look like that boat we smashed last year."

"Well, can we really do anything better?"

"Guys, I might be able to make an ice dome around it. It might not stop them, but it would slow them down when they came through at least." The old wizard said out of the blue.

We all decided that it was a good idea, well the others did anyway. I actually would rather the portal was left clear and open. Maybe my father had left something in our camp that would explain what he started talking about near the end. And even though he had wanted me to come through the portal, apparently knowing what was here somehow, I still felt a pull to leave this strange new world and go back to the dangerous and familiar world I knew. Or, at the very least, I might be able to slip through and see what was waiting to come through to this world, to Ooo.

I didn't voice my thoughts, however, and the wizard's crown began to glow again. My sword vibrated and began to make a low growling noise, but when I shook it, it shut up. I still don't know what exactly is making it do that… but I really need to find out. As the wizard started freezing a huge dome of ice around the entire hill, the fiery elemental walked over.

"I told the brigade's leader to hurry up. Going as fast as they can, it should take an hour for them to get here. And once they get here they'll send a messenger back to the Fire Kingdom for more troops." She explained.

Then the ice dome was finished and we had nothing to do. After a minute the tall, green-skinned man with the big sword walked over.

"So, Marceline said she almost lost to you while sparring." He began. "I've seen her fight, and I'd really like to see what you can do. To gauge the fighting style from your world… and I admit, just to pass the time."

"So you're saying you want to spar?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

"Do you want to use our weapons, or have the Ice King make ones for us to spar with like he did for me and Marceline?"

"Hmmm… I'd say make sparring weapons. That way we can't actually kill each other if we slip." He replied to me after a moment of thought. While the Ice King made them, the man walked up to me. "My name's Billy, though some call me Billy the Hero." He offered me his hand to shake. As I did I noticed that he had six fingers, each decorated with rings.

"I'm sure you already know this, but I'm Keiro. As far as I know, last of the line of Ebonmere." I tilted my sword to show the letters marked out in the pattern at the base of the blade. They spelled out 'Ebonheart' in my language, and at an odd look from Billy and the others I explained. "A long line of soldiers and warriors in my world, or so I've been told. I never really believed half of the stories, like the one about Ebonmere catching a falling star and sealing it inside this sword."

Everyone laughed at that, like I had when Father had first told me it, except for Marceline. She looked thoughtful instead. Ebonmere was a hero to the Sildara, and was one of the reasons my family line was so respected. According to the tales passed down through the family, he was the first Shadowscale. Had been by Umbra's side since just after time began, and had died after killing three of the other deities who opposed his god-king. I'd never taken the legends too seriously… but after seeing the flaming face pop into being above the sword, the tale about it having a fallen star inside of it wasn't that hard to believe.

Once the practice weapons were ready, everyone gathered in a ring around me and the green-skinned man. They started chanting a countdown.

"3." I loosened my grip on the icy sword and started inscribing small circles in the air with its point. The hero across from me did something similar.

"2." I blinked a few times, sharpening my vision. I started rocking back on the balls of my feet as the excitement in my stomach grew.

"1." Billy curled the hand not on his sword into a fist then slowly uncurled it. He seemed much more relaxed than Marceline had been. He was more relaxed than I was; not even moving in preparation. He seemed to take my father's motto of keeping your muscles relaxed before a fight to the max.

"Go!"

I dashed off right at the start. Billy seemed like he had expected me to circle and gauge his skill, just as Marceline had, but he reacted far faster than she had as I lunged for him. He dodged to the side, and before I could get my balance back he had swung at me. The force behind his blow sent me stumbling forward as it connected with my back. I hissed from pain and rolled to the side as the next blow crashed onto the ground. This guy was fast, as fast as me at least, and strong.

I parried a few blows before going on the offensive. He parried my first few blows with his sword, but on the next one I feinted an overhand blow, before swinging around at the last instant and making it crash into his arm. I'm sure it didn't break it, but it must have really hurt. Judging from the sound, at least, it caused a lot of pain. His reactions were notably slower now, at least until he switched to his right arm. They were slower than before, but still really fast.

I broke into a sweat as we fought back and forth across our improvised arena. For every blow one of us landed, the other did the same. Finally I decided to just try and end it. I switched from the Sildaran style I had been using, to a more defensive Eolnara style. Instead of trying to deflect the man's blows, I blocked them by holding my sword sideways and supporting it on one hand while holding it with the other. This caught him off guard and caused him to stumble backwards, as he'd pulled back on the sword. He must have expected me to deflect it and make him stumble forward.

Before he could recover, I landed a heavy two-handed strike right at the base of his sword. It shattered, the useless blade falling to the ground. Then I kicked him in the crotch. Everyone gasped in the second it took Billy to react.

"Agh! Mother of Gob!" He screamed, in a voice far higher than his normal one, as he fell backwards. His hands went to cover his bruised manhood. I admit, I did feel sorry for him. It was kind of a low-blow, but I was determined to win this time.

"And this…" I put one foot on his chest. I dug the tip of my sword into the soft flesh under his chin. "is where you'd die if this were a real fight." I tossed the sword back to the Ice King, who melted it instantly.

Then I stepped off Billy's chest and offered a hand to help him up. He took it, after shooting me a brief glare at the nature of my victory, and then spoke his mind.

"I admit, you're very good. I haven't gone up against reflexes like that in forever." He paused to groan. "But seriously? Did you have to kick me like that?"

"Sorry about that, but I didn't see any other way to get you on the ground."

"Eh, you won fair and square, even with that below-the-belt hit. Was it just me, or did you change styles near the end?"

"Very perceptive. Yes, I did. For the most part I was using the Sildaran style I've trained in since I could walk, but then I started using an Eolnaran style. I went from speedy offense and agile dodges, to steady standing and heavy hits after directly blocking attacks." I explained casually, turning to look at the swirling light within the ice that covered the portal. I noticed that Jake was seemingly passed out on the ground, for some reason or another, with Finn and the fiery princess slapping him. Marceline whistled, obviously impressed, while the others seemed too stunned that I'd won to do much.

"How long were we fighting?"

"Ummm… maybe half an hour?" Billy replied after a moment of thought. Then I walked over to talk with Marceline, or I tried to anyway. But the dog had woken up, and he ran over before I could get to her.

"Dude! You beat Billy!" Jake squealed like an excited little girl. "You're my new hero!"

I just stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to react. I didn't respond at all, even as he opened up another hole in his body and pulled out a dull orange container.

"Would you play Card Wars with me while we wait for something to happen?"

I wasn't too sure what he was asking. "Um, what's Card Wars?"

"It's a really cool and complicated game! I can explain the rules if you want." I nodded and he started in on a very lengthy and technical explanation of the game. I listened intently, and filed all the information away.

* * *

Nearly three hours later he was done explaining. We had nothing like this game back in Xyl, but it sounded incredibly fun. Complicated, but fun. The fiery soldiers, who were elementals according to Marceline, arrived an hour into the explanation. They immediately sent for reinforcements and started fortifying an area and setting up camp.

"So, will you play?" Jake asked hopefully, and I replied with a smile.

"Sure, let's start."

Jake opened the tin and shook out a bunch of cool-looking cards. He separated them into three decks, one significantly smaller than the other two.

"Do you want a random landscape, or to pick one?"

"Random." I replied, fairly confidently. The yellow bulldog nodded and picked a single card out. This he sat in front of himself, and the rest of the stack he threw at me. I picked one from the middle of the stack at random, and sat it face down like Jake had. Then he put the rest of those cards away, and handed me one of the other stacks.

Like him, I drew fifteen cards off the top and put five down in a line with my other card. Then, at a nod from Jake, I flipped them all over and turned them to the left. A holographic image popped up in blue on my side of the board, and a similar image popped up in yellow on his.

_The Shrouded Forest_

_A woodland of immense size, The Shrouded Forest is home to many ancient creatures. Many enter, but few ever leave. _

That was what my main landscape card said, and the others popped up as buildings in one of the areas with fewer trees. There was a castle, a schoolhouse or something, and a 'Cave of Solitude' according to the card. The other two turned out to be soldiers of some kind: a card labeled 'Ancient Scholar' and another labeled 'Hunter'. The scholar looked like an old man in robes, and the hunter was an archer.

Jake's side of the board was divided into a hilly area with his castle, a field full of some kind of crop with a volcano in the middle, and a mud-pit. His only unit that appeared was a knight of some kind, though I couldn't see the label on his card.

"You go first. It's your Floop Stage now." Jake motioned for me to make my move, and I looked over the cards in my hand. I put two facedown to Floop later, and then Flooped a card labeled 'Arcane Sentry'. It shimmered into existence as a statue at the edge of my land, with flames flickering in each outstretched hand. Then I sent the scholar in to study, and motioned that it was Jake's turn.

He discarded one card, picked up another, and then sat two down. He flipped both over, and Flooped the one on the left. A tower popped up on his side of the map, and then he used it to look at my hand. He took a rather useless card, one that required corn that I didn't have, before beginning his battle phase. He activated his knight, and both other cards he had.

Three knights, made of corn or something, popped up in his field and walked toward my side of the field. A giant bird followed, swooping low to attack the sentry.

"Now how will you defend?" He said with glee. In his explanation, he'd told me that I could activate or Floop any of my units in a defense phase without it affecting my next turn. So I activated my hunter, and it shot an arrow into the bird. At the same time the statue came to life, a jet of flame shooting out of its hand and engulfing the corn knights, who burnt to a crisp before they could run.

The bird didn't die from the arrow, but as it tried to limp back to Jake's side my statue stomped on it. Its card turned gray and useless, as did the corn knights.

Then it was my turn again, and I put down a useless corn card. I picked up another, and then decided not to do anything with my hand. In the battle stage, I Flooped my hunter and sent the scholar back to study more. As told on the card, the hunter used his special ability and sent a flaming arrow arcing over to Jake's newest tower building, which crumbled to the ground.

"Grrr… your beginner's luck ends now!" Jake picked another card, threw away another, and then put a row of three down. He Flooped one of them.

"Beneath the Useless Swamp walks an immortal beast with no end! Behold the Immortal Maze Walker!" He screamed out in apparent victory as a massive, angry-looking spiked beast rose from his swamp, and started eating corn. When half the field was gone, Jake activated it as his battle stage started. Then he Flooped both his other cards, and two identical fire elementals popped up in his territory. Each one threw a fireball, and my study and cave went up in flames before collapsing.

My archer fired arrow after arrow at the Maze Walker as it lumbered across the board, but they had almost no effect. Red numbers, damage apparently, popped up with each hit, but nothing seemed to stop it. When the statue came alive, its flames only made the beast roar in pain. Then it stomped on my sentry and started rushing for the hunter.

"You're doomed now!"

"Am I?" I gave him a cheeky grin, and Flooped both cards I had lying down. One brought a legion of trees from the forest to life, and they rushed forward with unearthly screeches. By the time the light and numbers cleared enough to see, both the trees and the maze walker were dead. Jake growled in frustration as my other card, a witch in white, walked along the border laying magical traps.

Then I took my turn and reclaimed my lost buildings, before reviving my dead scholar. I didn't have any good cards now, my best ones being gone from staving off that attack, so I didn't attack aside from having my hunter destroy another building of Jake's.

When he didn't attack, and just summoned a new soldier, I took my turn. This time the card I picked up from the stack was different. It was clear, and had just a tiny square of gray on it.

"Dude, that's a wild card! It'll customize itself to you when you touch that square!" Jake seemed awed and astonished, and I did what he said. When my finger touched the square, the entire card rippled and shimmered in my hand. Instead of conforming with the coloring of the other cards, it turned black as midnight on both sides.

My own face was staring back at me, reflected in a picture of what looked like me sitting on a stump in a forest, a bow on my back and a sword at my side.

_The Shadowed Warrior_

_From a distant world this being has come. Trained to be a soldier, the best of his kind, he seeks a challenge that none can give. The magic he was born with, the power of the Shadowscale, keeps him immortal and alive, along with giving him powers over darkness that any wizard would dream of having. His cold heart cares for nothing but the demonic love he longs for day and night._

I slapped it down instantly, startled by what it said. It was almost as if the card had read my mind, and taken out the very essence of what I was. Some of it wasn't me, though similar, and the rest described me perfectly. I kept it intentionally to where the magic dog couldn't see the writing on it… both because it would give away that I was a Shadowscale, and for another reason I wasn't quite sure of yet. One that involved the pale half-demon watching our game curiously.

Its stats were ridiculously high, and when I activated it the shadowy hologram of me vanished. One by one, a blade of darkness would appear behind Jake's confused creatures before they crumpled to the ground. Then the being re-appeared, wiping holographic blood off of its sword, and turned to the buildings.

"Nooo!" Jake screamed as five balls of darkness, one for each building he had summoned, appeared floating above my warrior. Then each shot forward, and in a split second Jake's buildings were gone. The game was over, and I had won.

"That's cheating! No unit should be able to do that, or take out the buildings too in a normal attack!" The dog complained. I showed him the small line of text at the bottom of the card.

_Un-Earthly Rage_

_Unless confronted with something or someone who can stop him, the Shadowed Warrior will destroy everything opposing him. _

"Special Abilities always got to check them. Even without flooping it, it can wipe out your enemy completely. No different from your Maze Walker's corn power up." I grinned at him, surprised that I'd won. "Can I keep this card?"

"Yeah, you can keep it. It's personalized to you, after all. Just remember to put it in the deck for shuffling if you use it in a game sometime, just so you don't cheat." He said before wandering off. He was mumbling several words I didn't know, along with a few I did, as he walked.

I went over and put the card in a hidden pocket at the edge of my backpack. Then I slung the entire thing over my back and went over to Marceline. She finished a discussion with the others on watch schedules during the rapidly approaching night, and then turned to greet me.

"So, you beat Jake in Card Wars?"

"Yeah. I got a wildcard that personalized itself to me." I grinned. "Turns out I'm a pretty powerful card."

"Well, don't expect Jake to talk to you for a few days. He doesn't like losing much, as you can tell from his curses as he walked away." Marceline yawned. "Can I see the card?"

"Ummm… no. It kinda put some personal stuff in the card that I'd rather you not see." My thoughts instantly went to the line about demonic love… and from there to the feelings that had stirred inside me when Marceline had held my hand during the meeting. And from the brief moment when we'd sparred and I'd felt her cool body pressed against mine as I held the splintered sword to her throat. Even the thought made something stir inside me, though I had no idea what it was.

"You know I'll just find it while you're asleep, right?" She smirked as she spoke. I was sure my face was crimson underneath my fur.

"Good luck. You'll never find where it is!" I taunted.

"It's in the backpack, isn't it?" She chuckled as the grin dropped off my face.

"Ummm…. Not for long." I replied awkwardly. Maybe I could slip it into one of the hidden pockets behind the metal plates in my pants.

"What do you keep in that backpack anyway? It was really heavy when I took it off you before."

"Umm… just some stuff. Food and water, a set of nice pants and a shirt. Another armored pair like the ones I have on, and a chainmail shirt." I frowned a little, feeling like I'd forgotten something. "Oh yeah, and there's the dagger my father made for me years back. I should probably get that out… never know when I'll need it."

Marceline didn't reply as I knelt on the ground and dug around a little. Finally my fingers found the cool, smooth metal links I was looking for. I pulled out the twenty pound or so armor, made of inter-linked dark rings, and slipped it on. It was a bit uncomfortable, I just wasn't used to wearing a shirt, but it would be worth it for the extra protection. Then I felt around a little more until my fingers closed over the familiar hilt of my dagger.

Its sheath, of polished black leather from a Piken, had the Ebonmere family's crest embroidered on it in golden thread. More specifically, the crest was a four-winged Enarial, clutching a sword, an arrow, a staff, and a spear respectively in each of its grasping hands. Above its head was the crescent shadow of Xyl's moon, and some odd symbol I didn't recognize. I'd never seen the symbol on any of the other images of our crest, and Father had never told me what it represented.

I hung the sheath on the waist of my pants, and then pulled out the dagger itself to ensure that it was still razor-sharp. The blade was different from my sword's; a pure black metal burnished so that it reflected my face. I tossed it into the air, caught the blade by the tip, and then hurled it past Marceline into a tree. It was a whirling arc of black until it sunk into the wood with a thwack. I walked over, pulled it out, and then slipped it back into its scabbard.

* * *

It was hours later, deep in the night, when Marceline and I were sitting with one of the soldiers on watch. We were making bets on whether or not the green-skinned hero was asleep. Me and the soldier were betting that he was, while Marceline stuck by saying he was just meditating. I was just picking up a rock to throw at him in order to test this when the portal started swirling faster.

We sounded the alarm, and everyone else leaped up groggily and started gathering their weapons. The ice cracked, and with a boom like thunder the dome shattered into millions of shards. The first shapes of Xylans were just visible when I ran over to stand in front of it, my sword drawn.

My sword flicked out in an arc, humming as it cut through the air, and tore open the throat of the Eolnara who came through first. The second one stumbled over the first's corpse, and my sword struck sparks off the stony plate embedded in the skin of its shoulder. Before it could orient itself a fireball took off its head, and I turned to see Flame Princess giving me a thumbs up.

We killed a few more in the same way, but then a fireball missed the soldier it was aimed at and flew through the portal. For a minute, everything was quiet… they must be having some kind of discussion over in Xyl, and I hoped it didn't end with one of The Eight coming through. Even if we struck just as they left the portal, there was little chance of us killing them.

After what seemed like an eternity, bodies swirled into view again. The first shape that came through ducked my slash, and rolled to avoid the fireball aimed at it. A blade struck sparks off one of the plates on my leggings, and then a shadowy knife was hurled at Flame Princess. It dissipated after missing her, but that was enough to tell me that this was one of the trained Shadowscales. He turned invisible, even I could barely see through the Shadowed Cloak, and started running over to the fire soldiers.

Marceline and Billy took my place at cutting down the soldiers as they came through the portal as I rushed off after the Shadowscale. They didn't see him, and obviously had no idea why I was leaving the portal to them. Surprisingly, the elderly wizard seemed to see the Shadowscale too. A burst of ice magic caught the running figure by surprise and sent him crashing to the ground, his legs encased in a few inches of ice. I tackled him just as he got to his feet, and we went rolling on the ground.

I lost my sword somewhere along the way, and so did the other Shadowscale. He ended up on top of me, and his gauntleted fist crashed into my face. I saw stars briefly from the pain, but managed to respond with an open-handed jab into his side. My claws screeched horribly as they dragged along the metal links of his armor, but much of the force carried through.

I made a go for my dagger at the same time he went for his. With his free hand he sent some stinging, blinding dark smoke into my face. I coughed and sputtered, before realizing what we'd both forgotten! We were Shadowscales, after all, we could just make our weapons from the shadows of the night!

Right as the telltale 'schlick' sound of his dagger coming free rang out, I kneed him in the crotch and rolled over so I was on top. I reared back while he was stunned, so that I was straddling his stomach, and forced the shadows into a long, jagged dagger.

Then, using both hands, I plunged the knife down. The life began to leave the Shadowscale's eyes, but I must have missed his heart since he didn't die immediately. He knew, however, that he was dead. So he stopped struggling. Still, a look of complete and utter loathing came over his face as he glared at me.

"Traitor…" He hissed out as blood bubbled from his mouth. "you're a… disgrace. A liar… a coward… and a black mark on the noble… legacy of the Shadowscales."

His words were obviously intended to wound my pride. They didn't though, instead just making me angrier. I twisted the dagger in his chest as I hissed out my next words. "All of you fools who follow Umbra are the disgraces. You think he actually cares about you, cares how you do in the war? He doesn't. All of us Sildara, even the Shadowscales, are just toys to him. Toys to fight pointless wars while him and the other seven drink together and laugh at their creations stupidity."

"Lies..." The dying man beneath me gasped out. "Treasonous slander… Umbra… will make you pay."

"Believe what you will, but I speak the truth. The line of Ebonmere has realized this. We no longer serve Umbra." And with that the Shadowscale's eyes drifted shut and he entered the eternal sleep.

When I turned back around, I saw that the situation was bad. The big person wearing the cat-like hat, Susan I think her name was, had thrown the big bow she had had before away. She was now surrounded by a circle of Xylan soldiers, just like all the others, and was swinging an Eolnara around to batter the other soldiers.

It looked bad, as flashes of the limited magic each race had at their disposal flickered out, and the fire elementals took on the majority of my fellow Xylans. But it was a losing battle. For every Xylan they killed two more took their places. Sheer numbers were going to overwhelm us, and without my sword there wasn't much I could do to help. It was times like this that made me wish I'd mastered all my abilities as a Shadowscale.

The human boy screamed as he fell, a blade sinking into his arm as a thrown knife scratched along his head. A few seconds later the soldiers around him rushed forward. The big yellow dog yelled something out, and grew to a giant size. He swept the soldiers over Finn away, and then picked up the seemingly lifeless body. When the fiery princess saw this, she let out a piercing shriek of rage. Her hand flew up to her sapphire necklace, and she began to grow.

She must have been a hundred feet tall, taller than the tallest trees around the portal's hill, and her flames turned dark blue. Her form grew monstrous as she decimated the soldiers. They started to turn and run, but massive fireballs engulfed many of them. Even the Araojinre burned in the heat of her flames. The ground itself melted, turning to glassy rock where the fireballs hit. She stomped on everything that tried to fight her, and then when all the Xylans that had crossed through the portal to this world were either dead or had gone back through, she threw one more massive fireball straight into it.

Then she shrank down to normal size and rushed across the hill to where Jake stood cradling Finn's body. The rest of us followed, including the fire soldiers, and we all reached them at about the same time. Flame Princess had been crying when she drove back the soldiers… but now she was laughing. I knew why when she stepped to the side and I saw Finn woozily standing up, blood dripping from a cut on his arm and another on his head.

"Ugh… what happened?" He rubbed at his head and was surprised to find the blood on it.

"Dude, your girlfriend went crazy! She saw you get hurt and fall down, and then went all, like, 'Crazy Fire Monster' on them!" Jake explained excitedly, and the elemental slapped him for referring to her as a monster.

I noticed that each of the heroes had various minor cuts, bruises, and other wounds. Only the cut on Finn's arm was really serious, and a drop of some liquid from a crystal bottle healed that really quickly. The fire soldiers started incinerating the remaining corpses, and we took stock of our dead.

Of the approximately three-hundred fifty soldiers that had come, only two hundred were still alive. At least three times that many Xylan soldiers were dead. I honestly hadn't expected us to do this good… maybe the fire soldiers were better fighters than I'd expected. With enough of them we might actually stand a chance of winning… until the elder Shadowscales or The Eight themselves get involved. Then maybe, just maybe, the Cosmic Weapon things might prove to be a match for them. This battle might have gone far differently if they'd managed to get their weapons to work after the near-explosion earlier.

"Hey Marceline, come help me with something." When the vampire had hurried over to where I stood by the Shadowscale's body, I continued in a whisper. "Look, this guy was a Shadowscale. He wasn't very well trained or powerful. Well, he forgot that he could have just had the shadows impale me. I barely managed to kill him… we should throw his body back through the portal to send them a message."

Marceline helped me pick up the body, and we walked it toward the portal. I left the shadowy dagger lodged in his chest, knowing that it would say more than anything else. To people that could see it anyway.

"Um… why are you throwing that guy through the portal? We can just incinerate him like the others." The Princess, who happened to be the only person not bloodied, asked as we struggled up the hill.

"He was their leader. Sending him through the portal will send a message that they shouldn't fuck with us." Marceline replied, and the princess's face reddened. Apparently she didn't like vulgar language like this.

The pink princess left us alone after that, and then we tossed the body through the portal.

With that done, Marceline and I went off to look for my sword.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks to anyone who's stuck with the story thus far! Sorry for the long wait! I hope you all like it, and are kind enough to give feedback!**


	7. Chapter Six: (Title wouldn't fit)

**Author's Note: This one took me longer to write, but due to my backlog of chapters you guys probably didn't notice. It took awhile because I was sick, but I'm better now, and after a week or so off writing I'm back interested in the story and the show! It definitely helps that the episode Monday is one I've been waiting on forever.**

**(EDIT: I got really side-tracked and this is several months later than I intended it to be. EDITED EDIT: Add another month or two, and some extensive remodeling of the story, to that. I would highly recommend going back over the other chapters as I have edited them to be more in-line with SCIK's story. Also, most of my Author's Notes are far outdated now… but meh.)**

**Marceline: Enough already! Get on with the story!**

**Keiro: Yeah, I know what you've got planned coming soon, so hurry up!**

…

**Marceline: What's he got planned? How come I haven't heard about any of this?**

**Keiro: Errr…. Nothing. *Turns and starts to run***

**Well, with that done, let's get on with the story.**

* * *

Chapter Six: Defeat or a Strategic Retreat?

"So what do we do now?" Almost an hour had passed uneventfully since the last of the Xylans had run back through the portal. Keiro had found his sword half an hour ago, and now was standing watch by the portal. Everyone was nursing their minor wounds, and all the majorly wounded fire soldiers had already been healed by the tears. At least they worked on fire elementals too.

"I don't know… we lost so many people. And next time it'll be worse…" The candy princess sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Keiro, be honest. After having seen this, do you think we stand a chance at beating your people?"

The cute, I admitted to myself, male took a few seconds before answering. "I don't think so. Your soldiers are good, but there are many, MANY thousands of my people. They'll eventually overrun you, even if The Eight don't take any hand, and we'll probably lose."

"Maybe if we fell back somewhere, picked the battlefield. If we could fortify ourselves in land that would give our soldiers and weapons the advantage, we might survive." Billy chimed in from the side. "Maybe the hills at the edge of the Ice Kingdom. We could hide in them and pick off the soldiers, and the Ice King here would have snow and ice to animate golems to fight for us."

Further discussion was cut short as the portal began to swirl again. I looked briefly at my cross before swinging my axe-bass a few times, and noticed that the sapphire was glowing! The power must have recharged in all of ours.

"Guys, use your cosmic weapons!" I rushed up the hill as I spoke, but the first five figures had already stepped out of the portal. None followed them, but I stopped dead in my tracks anyway. It was easy to tell they were all Sildara, but the direst part was their scales. Each and every one was pure black, just like Keiro's.

One casually raised a hand to stop the rain of fireballs sailing at them, and the others started making large sweeping movements with their hands. Shadowy figures began to rise out of the ground, gleaming silver swords clutched in their hands. Three glowing arrows arched from the Artemis Bow, but they dissipated before hitting the Shadowscales. If they had enough power to stop a Cosmic Weapon… this was bad for us.

The shadows, nearly a hundred of them, were barely visible in the dim light. Only their gleaming swords marked their position enough for a rain of fireballs to tear into them. Somehow, they managed to jump and dodge to the side, only one actually getting hit. And then the Shadowscales clapped their hands together and they were all holding massive longbows made of shadows.

Arrows arced into the fire soldiers, invariably killing them, as a ring of shadows formed around me. I went on the attack, slashing at them with my axe, but they kept dodging and striking back at me. By the time I realized that we were hopelessly outmatched by these summoned shadows, there were already six cuts dribbling blood on me.

And then it hit me.

They were SUMMONED shadows, so I should be able to banish them with my Silver Cross. I dropped my axe, and grabbed the cross. As I brandished it at the shadows, they hisses and retreated from the white light gathering around it. The light turned blue, and the holy sword shot out from it. Gripping the cross itself as the hilt, I spun around and cut the shadows apart before they could move.

Keiro seemed to be doing fine on his own. He was dodging, rolling, and running all at the same time as he slashed at the shadows and cut them to pieces. His sword glowed with a faint blue light, almost like it was on fire, and this just helped to confirm my earlier guess that it was possessed by something. And the subsequent theory that it was a beneficial spirit or being, from how it had helped Keiro when he was wounded, and from how it seemed to be helping in the fight.

The others weren't faring so well, but they were at least holding their own as the fire soldiers tried to help. Finn, Jake, and Flame Princess were together and holding off a big group, while the others were mostly fighting five or six each with little luck. I ran around to help Susan first, and then did the same with the others. I knew it would be suicide to attack the Shadowscales, and that we couldn't beat them as of now. We needed to retreat before they started picking off more than just the fire soldiers. It's not like I don't care about them, but they're not my friends or as important as the other heroes.

"We've got to get out of here guys!" A shadowy arrow arced toward me, but Keiro slashed it out of the air before it hit. "I think I can open a portal to the Nightosphere, but it'll take a minute. I've never really used the demonic magic that it needs. Keiro, cover me while I do it."

I started muttering in the demonic language my father had taught me so long ago, making gestures and motions like he had shown me. I felt the dark energy gathering in my palms as the surviving soldiers gathered around me. Screams and cries of pain were nearly constant as soldiers continued to fall all around me, and it pained even my cold heart to hear them dying for me.

After what felt like an eternity, I muttered the last words to the spell and slammed my palms onto the ground. A tremendous cracking sound echoed through the clearing, and a gaping maw tore open in the ground. Flames sprouted from around the swirling vortex within, and an unearthly howl issued out of it.

"Everyone in!" I decided that I should be the last one in, having the least chance of dying due to being only lightly hurt, so I waved the others through as I spoke. The surviving soldiers, barely two dozen, jumped through with no hesitation. The others hesitated a few seconds, but as I incinerated shadowy arrows headed for them, they jumped through the flames.

The Shadowscales seemed angry now, and they threw away the bows and drew actual swords. The only surviving shadow warrior faded away to nothing as the Sildara charged at us.

"Go Keiro, I'll hold them back and close the portal as I come through." I dropped my axe-bass through the portal and transformed into my giant bat form. Even though Keiro knew I could do it, he backed off a little just like the Shadowscales did. Two years ago I would have jumped through myself and not cared about what happened to the other people. Even a week ago I would have gone through now and if someone didn't follow, they'd be stuck.

But instead, I felt that I had to keep Keiro safe, to go so far as to put his safety in front of my own. Damn these teenage hormones, if that's what's causing it, but I can't leave the man I'm really starting to fall for in danger. Either he goes through first, or neither of us goes to the safety of the Nightosphere.

When he shook his head no I growled and swiped an arm at him. My attempt to safely shove him through the portal failed, as he simply jumped over my now-massive, nearly skeletal, arm and ran up to get a boost as he slashed down at a rapidly approaching Shadowscale. I felt a blade bite deep near my ankle, thankfully missing everything important, and kicked backwards.

I spun around and left Keiro to his rapid swordfight as the other four surrounded me. The Sildara that had already cut me was fast, but not as fast as the one I knew. He failed to get completely out of the way of my kick; though it only glanced off of him, he still flew backwards into the trees, his sword falling in the process. The other three became wary, and I couldn't manage to hit them. They would dash in, wound me, and then dash off before I could react. One of them stayed back, and kept throwing knives made of shadows into my torso.

The pain was worse than anything I'd felt as my blood freely flowed from my legs. After barely a minute of this losing fight, I was too weak to stand. I fell to my knees and the blades found my torso.

I had already accepted that I was going to die when Keiro took the blow that would have impaled me completely. I had no idea how I wasn't dead yet, or how I was even still conscious, but somehow I managed to gather enough energy to tap into my demonic pyrokinesis again. As Keiro slumped to the ground next to me, the woman who'd stabbed him burst into flames. My vision faded to black around the edges, and I felt myself shrink back into my normal form, the wounds I'd sustained shrinking with me.

I wasn't unconscious yet, but my senses were dulled and blurred. I couldn't see much, though I could make out the vague shapes of Keiro and the other Shadowscales. I sensed that my clothes had come back after my transformation, like usual, but were cut and town around my wounds. Almost to the point of barely covering anything.

I felt furry arms slide down under my back, and then felt myself being lifted off the ground. Keiro didn't seem to have any problems with lifting me. I heard him grunt in pain again just as we fell through the portal. After that everything got really indistinct.

* * *

The next half hour passed in a blur. My portal must have dropped everyone into Dad's palace, at least that's what I assumed judging from the vague glimpses of familiar portraits I saw. There was a clamor of voices around me and Keiro, and several times we were moved to different places. By the end of the half hour, I felt us finally being laid in a soft bed. My father's demons, I assumed, had changed me into a loose-fitting nightgown. All of my wounds had been bandaged, though with what I couldn't tell, and the pain had dulled to nearly nothing. I drifted off to sleep to the muted sound of Keiro's breathing.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of a loud sigh. My sight was blurry at first, but after a few blinks it cleared up and I noticed the dark obsidian ceiling of the room. After a few seconds my mind cleared as well, and I realized that I must still be in the Nightosphere. I barely noticed my father's blue-gray face watching me from the side as I turned my head to make sure Keiro was alright.

He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and I let out a sigh of relief. He didn't have a shirt on, just a pair of my dad's old pants. I momentarily forgot that Daddy was in the room as well, since Keiro's lean and muscled chest was visible. My eyes traced along his chest, stopping at the red-stained bandage that was wrapped around his midriff. I flinched as the pain from my many wounds finally registered. The gasp that followed brought Daddy over to me.

"Are you okay Marcy?" I tried to roll onto my back, but Daddy stopped me. "Careful Baby, you don't want to hurt yourself any more. Your back has more than half-a-dozen stab wounds contaminated with some kind of dark magic I've never seen before. Laying on them isn't the best way to heal."

"Aside from feeling worse than the time I tried to fly through a knife storm, I'm just fine." I hissed out sarcastically through teeth gritted against the pain. "How long was I out?"

"More than twelve hours. We had time to close the wounds we could, but it'll be at least a week until you two are ready to leave. Even with your accelerated healing, you two are lucky to be alive." Daddy was helping me sit up against a big pile of pillows when he suddenly froze. "Wait a second… you've flown through a knife storm?"

"That's beside the point, but yeah. Wasn't my smartest Idea, but I survived at least." I replied. Daddy frowned for a second, but then just shook his head and helped me back onto the pillow pile. I looked around and for the first time recognized my surroundings. "Are we in my room?"

"Yes. It took awhile for the demons to find me and get you here, but we're in your old room. I haven't changed anything in here since you got mad at me all those years ago and ran off into Ooo and the Deadworlds."

I took a closer look around, and saw that it really was just how I remembered it. The bed was the same, still with the faded covers that showed characters from a show I'd loved as a kid. The old mirror with twisting vines along the frame still hung on the wall next to the window looking out over the land. The little furniture I'd kept in here was still in the same place, and the only things out of place were my axe-bass and Keiro's dagger sitting on a table. His sword was most likely still at his side; it would probably have burned anyone that tried to move it, just like it had with me. I realized that I still had that burn mark from the sword on my palm… I hope it doesn't turn into a permanent scar.

"Did everyone make it through the portal?" I bit back a groan as I tried to stretch my legs. I couldn't see them, but they felt even worse than my back. Those Shadowscales really did a number on them before Keiro brought me through.

"I believe so. I don't know how long you all will be here, so I haven't given any of them rooms yet. I didn't stop by to talk to them yet either, even though you've been asleep for this long." Daddy sighed and ran his hand down across his blue-grey face. "So, care to explain what you were doing with all the heroes from your last adventure, twenty-five fire soldiers, and a creature that I've never seen anything like before?"

I got as comfortable as I could while I explained. It took only fifteen minutes for me to condense the story from the start when Bonnie sent me. I explained what Keiro was, and most of what had happened since then. I explained the fights, and what the Sildara sitting next to me assumed was going to happen.

"So, this is pretty much worse than the thing with the Lich?" Was all Daddy said to sum it up.

"Yup. At least with him he gave us time to play his little game and find the cosmic weapons, these things aren't even giving us that." I sighed. "This isn't looking good for us. I'd ask you to send some of the stronger demons to help, or even come yourself with the Amulet, but that would mean leaving the Nightosphere un-attended… and that can't happen. Especially not when the Xylan deities come through and try to take over the other planes too."

"I might have an idea on how to do that… but we can talk about that later. Right now, you and your friend need to rest and heal." He frowned. "I'd prefer that resting to be in separate beds, but my idiot underlings messed you two up so badly by waiting so long to bandage you two, and moving you so much, that it wouldn't be a good idea to move either of you."

I rolled my eyes and groaned. Daddy was the same as always… "Really Daddy? I only met him a few days ago!" I blushed a little as I continued. "Sure, he's nice and a good fighter, maybe even a little cute in a furry sort of way, but I'd never let someone I didn't really know and like into my bed."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You're in the same bed right now."

"Oh, you know what I mean." I threw a pillow at him and instantly regretted it. A few of my wounds cracked open and started bleeding again. "Besides, he is nice. After all, he got himself impaled to save me. He could've jumped through and left me to die if he wanted to, but he didn't. Even if I hadn't trusted him before, I would have after that."

"True, I owe him for saving you." He smiled at me. "Now get to sleep and let that Blood Demon's gift work its magic and get you healed up. Maybe tomorrow you'll be up and about, but it'll probably take about a week for you two to be back in action."

The string of words that came out of my mouth next made him chuckle and throw the pillow back at me. "Same old Marcy."

After a few minutes of pointless conversation, he made a promise that we'd get everyone together tomorrow so we could work out some kind of plan. After that he left and I tried to get back to sleep. Eventually I drifted off.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yeah yeah, I know the ending isn't the best. But give me a break, I was stuck on this chapter for months. **

**So yeah, while this stuff is mostly canon to SCIK's story, it isn't completely. Basically, the timeline splits off before the final battle with the Lich and I change several things. But if I told you what was changed that would be a spoiler for her story. ;)**


	8. Chapter Seven: The Secret of Ebonheart

Chapter Seven: The Secret of Ebonheart

I groaned as I woke up with my mind in a fog of pain. My entire midsection felt like it was on fire. It took a few seconds for me to remember what had happened. To be honest, I was surprised that I was still alive. As I shoved the pain into the back of my mind, I realized that someone was hugging me from behind.

For a few moments I stayed still, looking around and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. I'd blacked out after getting through the portal that Marceline had summoned, but from the room we were in I assumed it had gotten us where she meant to. The walls were some kind of black rock, and there were dusty personal effects scattered around. It didn't take long for my eyes to settle on the table that held my dagger and the half-demon's axe.

The air itself was uncomfortably hot and the blanket just made it worse. I tried to move, but the arms wrapped around me tightened. I had no idea who it was… but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. At least not until whoever it was moved down a little and pulled themselves up against my back with a slight purr. That wouldn't have been too bad, except for how that put pressure on the only really major wound I had. I bit back a scream as I felt myself start bleeding again. Ebonheart was pressing rather painfully into my hip, but surprisingly it didn't cut into me.

I jabbed my elbow backwards and felt it hit the soft flesh of whoever was behind me. They jolted awake, but surprisingly didn't let go of me. I realized it was Marceline when she yawned.

"Umm… could you please let go?" I hissed out through gritted teeth. "You're kind of squeezing the place where I got myself impaled to save you."

She let out a surprisingly girlish squeal when she realized that she'd been hugging me in her sleep, and immediately scooted over so that she wasn't touching me. I'd seen how she'd been hurt before I pulled her through the portal… so my wince as she did that was partly from sympathy.

"Not going to ask, or complain, about what you were doing. But next time… try not to open my wounds again. If it keeps getting disturbed it won't heal as quickly as I'd like." I said as I pulled myself out from under the blanket. "I see my dagger, but do you know where the rest of my stuff is?" I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. I wobbled a little, but didn't fall.

"I don't know. Daddy must have put it somewhere. Maybe the other's have it with them?" She yawned again. "You shouldn't be walking around right now."

"I'll be fine. Everything except for the slowly closing hole in my stomach is already well on its way to healing. And even that will be fine in a week as long as I don't keep irritating it." I let out a yawn of my own as I fixed my dagger back onto the same belt my sword was hanging from. It took me a second to realize that the pants I was wearing weren't mine.

"How do you know you'll be fine in a week? I think getting impaled like that is a bit worse than anything you've had before. You're pretty lucky to be alive actually."

"Nah, Sildara are resilient. It takes more than this to kill us." I shrugged as I took stock of the small cuts and gashes in my skin that were already starting to heal. "Besides, I've been impaled like this before. It was on the other side, but not too different from this otherwise."

"That statement just sounds like it has a story behind it. Care to explain?" Marceline asked as I sat down in a chair. I would never admit it, but I was a lot weaker than I'd thought. Apparently I'd lost more blood than the last time this happened, and wasn't quite ready to be walking around yet. Just the short trip across the room to this chair had tired me out.

"Yeah, it does. But to be honest, I don't really feel up to telling it right now. My side feels like it's on fire, and my mouth feels like a desert."

"I know what you mean. Getting hurt sure makes you thirsty for some reason, doesn't it?" Marceline chuckled.

"Mmmhmm." Was my only reply.

* * *

It took nearly an hour for someone to come check on us, and during the infernal waiting me and Marceline talked, mostly about where we were. It turned out this was the Nightosphere, her father's plane or something. Apparently the heat was because the plane itself was covered in fire and magma most of the time, chaotic events nearly permanently happening to drive the world itself. If it wasn't for the heat, it would actually be a little bit like home.

Not long after a timid little demon brought us water and some unidentifiable hunks of cooked meat, everyone was crammed into what I now knew was Marceline's room from when she was younger.

"Dude, are you alright?" The human, Finn, asked when he saw the red-stained bandages around my midriff.

"Well, my side still feels like there's a hot poker shoved into it. But other than that I'm fine." I gave a slightly forced grin to his concerned girlfriend. "Besides, I'm not letting something as trivial as a hole in my side stop me from doing what I want to."

"You and Finn are a lot like each other." The fiery princess giggled. "Jake told me that one time Finn ran a few miles through a forest, swam across a river of acid, and fought a giant cyclops, all with a broken leg. And just because he was scared of the clown nurses that Jake hired."

"I wasn't scared of them!"

"Sure you weren't. Just like you weren't scared of them when you woke up in Lumpy Space before you fought the Fire Jinn to save me." The girl giggled and stuck her tongue out at Finn as his face turned red.

I was just sitting there holding back a smile as they argued playfully. After a minute Marceline's father, Hunson Abadeer I think she'd said, came over.

"Hate to interrupt those kids' flirting, but we really need to get this thing started." He said after coughing to get our attention. Then he handed me a cup of dark liquid. "And Keiro, drink this. It's nowhere near as good as that magical goop these guys used to have, but it'll take some of the pain away and help with your healing."

I coughed at the bitter taste, but still drank all of it. Then I got up and walked over to lean against the wall near the head of Marceline's bed. She seemed frustrated that everyone else was standing around while she was still stuck in the bed… but I'd seen what shape her legs were in. It wasn't pretty. I might have been impaled, but she was hurt a lot worse than me.

"Alright… so what's going on with us right now?" Marceline asked. My mind fogged up a little bit as she spoke, but at the same time a cool, soothing numbness settled over the wound in my side. Still, it was a bit hard to keep up with what was being spoken.

"Most of us got hurt during the fight, but none are as bad as you and Keiro got. We're mostly ready to get back, but we don't know what's going on up there. We sent the fire soldiers back through a portal to the Fire Kingdom to get the army there mobilized, and messengers should be going around to everywhere by now. In a day or so, Peppermint Butler should be getting to the Ice King's home with the Forbidden Weapons and most of the candy soldiers. We…" The pink princess started, but Marceline cut her off.

"You can't use those. They're forbidden for a reason."

"I know Marceline, but what choice do we have? We practically got slaughtered before, and it will only get worse."

"You haven't seen what those things do like I have. Haven't watched as the world fell down around you, as millions died daily because of the same weapons your proposing we use." Marceline seemed to be on the edge of either crying or screaming at Princess Bubblegum. "You haven't watched the city you grew up in reduced to a silent ruin, the stink of thousands of people rotting in the streets. Haven't been forced to wonder if anyone else was left alive in the shithole that the world was becoming, all because of people that used those weapons."

"Look, Marceline, just calm down." Billy butted in. "We don't pretend to understand what you and Simon went through back then, but you've got to understand, things are different now. That war destroyed the human world, brought the Lich and all other monsters into existence, but it's over now. The selfish, short-sighted humans, no offense Finn, that started the whole thing are dead. The really dangerous weapons were destroyed, I helped make sure of that, and nothing that we intend to use will start anything like that."

Marceline stayed silent, and the princess took it as a sign that she could continue. "Anyway, we can't afford to stay here for very long. We need to get back to Ooo, and start working on keeping the Xylans contained in the Unknown Lands. Will you two be alright down here?"

"Is that even a question?" Hunson chuckled. "Of course they'll be fine. Like I'd let my daughter or her new boyfriend die."

My mind was too addled by the medicine to grasp what he'd just said. But Marceline's face went bright red as she protested. "He's not my boyfriend! We're just friends."

Once the chuckling died down, Marceline picked up where the pink princess had left off. "Anyway…" She glared around the gathered group. "Keiro and I'll join you when we finish healing in about a week. We'll try to bring some help from down here."

There was a lot more to the conversation, but I didn't really register any of it. In fact, the people around the bed seemed to fade away into just a dark void. I just assumed that it was something from the drink Marceline's Dad had given me, and swore to myself that I wouldn't drink that stuff again, even if I had to just bear the pain. I couldn't even feel the wall that I was leaning against.

Oddly, my mind seemed to clear while I was in the darkness. An odd warmth, unlike any I'd felt before, spread from my hip. I looked down to see that half of the sword was glowing bright blue, and the other seemed to be sucking in the light. As I watched the glow and darkness left the sword, and floated in a sphere to rest in front of me. I still wrote it off as a hallucination.

Then the spheres started to morph into shapes. One looked a lot like me, at least from what I'd seen of my reflection in pools and streams , but the other seemed more like the fire elementals I'd seen here. Before either had fully resolved itself into whatever shape they would take, an excruciatingly loud voice rang out in my head.

_**"BOY…"**_

Before I even registered the words, the darkness around me shattered and I found myself falling onto the floor and curling up. The last thing I felt before I passed out was blood once again seeping into my bandage.

* * *

I woke up to a sharp slap across the side of my face. Forgetting where I was, I instinctively jumped up and lashed out in an attempt to grab whoever had done it. I probably would have succeeded and sunk my claws into Marceline if I hadn't stumbled and fallen to my knees as the pain and blood loss caught up with me again.

"Whoa there Keiro. We need you awake and at least semi-aware for this." Marceline helped me to stand up again. It took me a few seconds to remember how I'd blacked out, and then a few more to be surprised that the half-demon was standing up. Come to think of it… I was feeling a lot better than before I passed out. Not as weak. How long had I been blacked out.

"Before you ask, you've been out for two days. After you fell, your stomach and nose started bleeding. But now we need your help with something." She was walking rather stiffly, her legs still seemed to be swathed in bandages, but nonetheless she swiftly led me through the hallways and into a dark room lit only by a few red candles.

"Ever since you told us that story about your ancestor catching a falling star inside the sword, I've had a suspicion that it might be possessed. It's seemed… off to me before and since then, like magic and possessions from here, but different." Wait… was she saying my sword was possessed? Though that would explain the hallucination… and seeing the face above it. "But that incident where you collapsed confirmed it. Me and my father are no strangers to possessions, after all being demons and ruling them tends to make you knowledgeable, so we recognized it as soon as it moved. But the thing is…"

"… we can't touch the sword without it burning us." Her father stepped out of the shadows, showing burn marks on his hands that matched the sword. "I should have listened to Marcy when she said not to mess with it."

"You're not going to break it, are you? This sword has been in my family since the very beginning."

"We won't break it. We're just going to try to talk to whatever's inside it, find out why it did what it did to you. And if we can't, we'll get rid of it and leave your sword intact." Marceline explained. She flashed me a smile when I hesitated. "C'mon Keiro, you can trust us. Just sit it in the middle of the candles."

I really did trust Marceline, so I drew the sword and sat it down. It fit perfectly into the open space in the center of a five-pointed star that was inscribed within a circle of the same color. Each point was marked by one of the candles. The half-demon pulled me out of the figure, and then motioned for me to stay still.

Her and her father started murmuring in a language that I didn't understand. It sounded like it was just grunts, hissing, growls, and other animalistic noises. The candles' flames flickered for a moment, seeming to dim before flaring up even brighter, and the sword started to glow like it had in the hallucination.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but two figures appeared floating above the blade. One seemed to be a Sildara, but the other looked different from event the fire elementals I'd seen here. They, at least, had seemed to have a mostly set form, perhaps not completely made of flames. This… this thing was constantly shifting. Blue, green, and purple flames shimmered and moved in the air, sometimes forming into recognizable shapes and other times just twisting masses of fire. The only thing that stayed close to the same was what I assumed to be the head.

It seemed to have a pointed chin, beady eyes, and a next to nonexistent nose. It was the same face I'd seen by the portal. Both of the figures seemed to be annoyed.

"Well, that was a lot easier than I expected." Marceline's father chuckled, apparently not surprised at the things. "Now…"

"Don't bother, Demon. We refuse to speak with you and your ilk." The fiery being growled, turning his back on us.

"Now now Calcifer, there's no need to be rude to them. After all, they just made it so much easier for us to talk to Keiro." The other chided, putting a hand on what passed for the other thing's shoulder. "It definitely works a lot better than your method."

"I still don't see the problem with mine." The fiery thing, Calcifer, complained.

"You'd think that after all these years you'd have realized that your method of trying to talk directly to my descendants ends badly. You've killed far too many of my kin doing that, and I wouldn't even have let you try it again if it weren't for this mess the Eight got us into."

"Feh, those that died were weak. They didn't deserve to be called kin to the great Ebonmere. And most of the rest are too stupid to even remember the dreams we send, much less comprehend them. This…" If what this thing had said was right… then that Sildara was Ebonmere himself. But how was that possible? There was no magic that could bind someone to an object after death in my world. I was so focused on trying to pick out the resemblances between him, my father, and me that I didn't even notice that they'd said I could have died, and that other relatives had.

"You two do know that we're still here, right?" Marceline cut in.

"Like I said, we don't talk to your ilk Half-Breed." Calcifer's comment had Marceline bristling. "Keiro, however, is someone we wish to speak to."

The fiery being turned back and leveled a stare at me. The supposed Ebonmere did the same, but I would've sworn that he was trying not to smile.

"I'm sure you're young mind is full to bursting with questions, but you're not ready for the answers to most of them as of yet. To answer what I believe would be the top few, here we go. Yes, the Sildara next to me is your ancestor Ebonmere. No, neither of us are demons, and no, you aren't hallucinating. As for what you must be thinking now, which I assume to be a simple why, we need to warn you."

"Warn me of what?"

"Against fighting the Eight." Calcifer began. "It's pointless. Me and my brothers and sisters tried, and now I'm the only one that still lives. If Ebonmere hadn't brokered a deal with me and hidden me in his sword, then my very soul would be gone. He himself learned how pointless it was after killing several of them, only to watch them reform only a few mere years later."

"As much as I hate it, the only hope for you to survive and my line to continue is for you to go back to Umbra and beg forgiveness. Don't waste your life uselessly fighting the Eight. Abandon this doomed world to its fate and save yourself. Don't bother following the path your foolish father set for you. His misguided vision will lead to nothing but death and despair." Ebonmere took up were Calcifer had left off. So far, I was disgruntled with the person who I'd heard about and looked up to all my life. How dare he call my father foolish! As far as I was concerned, he was twice the man that this… this spirit would ever be.

"This fight isn't hopeless. You know nothing of this world. I've made friends here, friends that I know can stand up to our people. I won't betray them, and they won't betray me. If you two were in the sword, you've seen what they can do. We'll beat the Eight, you'll see." I defended my new friends, and without even looking I could tell that Marceline was smiling.

"Yes…" Calcifer scowled. "Your so-called friends are the idiots that nearly burned us to a crisp with their power and broke open the portal again. You would trust your life in their hands."

"Of course I would. They know how to fight, how to survive. I'll stand by them until the end, no matter what that end turns out to be."

Both spirits looked angry at that. They crossed their arms, and shook their heads in anger.

"So be it."

* * *

**Author's Note: Bit late, but still on the day it was supposed to come out! What do you all think so far?**

**P.S. Anyone that got the reference in this chapter gets a cookie in my next Author's Note.**


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